Lawsuit over alleged racial bias in Michigan scholarships resolved

(The Center Square) – A lawsuit challenging diversity scholarships offered by a Michigan law firm has been dismissed after the parties reached an agreement clarifying the scholarships are open to all applicants.

In November, the advocacy groups Do No Harm and the American Alliance for Equal Rights sued Buckfire & Buckfire, P.C., alleging the firm’s diversity scholarships were not equally open to all participants and were “racially discriminatory.”

Buckfire denied the allegations, maintaining the scholarships were available to students regardless of race or ethnicity.

At the end of February, the parties agreed to resolve the litigation and filed a joint stipulation of dismissal.

As part of the resolution, Buckfire will remove references to race as eligibility or selection criteria in the scholarship programs. The firm will also clarify that it does not limit “diversity” to any one experience, characteristic or circumstance and that the scholarships do not give preference...