Narrative Opinion Summary
In a case against the City of Philadelphia and its officials, plaintiffs alleged that their employment denial, based solely on failing a polygraph test, violated their constitutional rights. The plaintiffs, who were candidates for positions in the Philadelphia Police Department and Prisons, argued that this practice contravened Pennsylvania law, which prohibits requiring polygraph tests as a condition for employment, except in specific circumstances. The court was presented with evidence, including expert testimony, highlighting the unreliability and inadmissibility of polygraph results in court. Despite the defendants claiming the polygraph was just one of several evaluation tools, evidence revealed it was an absolute requirement, conflicting with current legal standards. Citing previous case law and statutory provisions, the court ruled that using polygraph results as the sole criterion for employment violated the plaintiffs' rights under 42 U.S.C. §1983, the Fourteenth Amendment, and the Pennsylvania Constitution. Consequently, the court ordered the City to reassess the plaintiffs' qualifications without relying on polygraph outcomes, ultimately ruling in favor of the plaintiffs.
Legal Issues Addressed
Constitutional and Statutory Violations in Employment Practicessubscribe to see similar legal issues
Application: The court found that the City's employment practices violated the plaintiffs' rights under the Fourteenth Amendment and Pennsylvania Constitution by improperly using polygraph results.
Reasoning: The court found in favor of the plaintiffs, ordering the defendants to reassess the plaintiffs' qualifications without relying solely on polygraph results.
Pennsylvania Law on Polygraph Testssubscribe to see similar legal issues
Application: The court noted that Pennsylvania law classifies requiring a polygraph test as a condition for employment as a misdemeanor, with certain exceptions that do not apply to the plaintiffs' case.
Reasoning: Under Pennsylvania law (18 Pa. C.S. 7321), requiring a polygraph test as a condition for employment is classified as a second-degree misdemeanor, with exceptions for law enforcement and those handling narcotics.
Polygraph Test Reliability and Admissibilitysubscribe to see similar legal issues
Application: The court acknowledged expert testimony indicating that polygraph tests lack proven reliability and their results are inadmissible in court due to questions about their scientific reliability.
Reasoning: Testimony and evidence presented at trial indicated that polygraph tests lack proven reliability. Expert Leonard Saxe stated that existing studies do not support generalizations about the accuracy of these tests and highlighted significant variability in their accuracy rates, influenced by the examiner's skill.
Use of Polygraph Tests in Employment Decisionssubscribe to see similar legal issues
Application: The court ruled that the use of polygraph results as the sole basis for denying employment was improper and violated the plaintiffs' rights.
Reasoning: Consequently, the court ruled that using polygraph results as the sole basis for employment denial was improper, violating the plaintiffs' rights under 42 U.S.C. §1983, the Fourteenth Amendment, and the Pennsylvania Constitution.