Target sued for checking arrest records of new hires: Class action

CHICAGO — Target has been hit by a new class action lawsuit accusing it of violating Illinois state law by conducting criminal background checks on new hires.

Attorneys from the firm of Caffarelli & Associates, of Chicago, filed the lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court on Feb. 17. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of named plaintiff Courtney McElrath-Bey.

According to published reports, McElrath-Bey, then 33, was arrested in 2024 of robbing another woman in Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood in the summer of 2023. According to the reports, McElrath-Bey allegedly was among a group of people who allegedly took property from a 30-year-old woman by force in the 400 block of East 66th Street.

However, according to the lawsuit, McElrath-Bey claims Target allegedly violated her civil rights under Illinois state law by using arrest records obtained in a background check to decide whether to ultimately hire her to work at its dis...