The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against DTI Associates Inc. (DTI), a Virginia-based contractor, alleging the company violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA).
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Download NowThe complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, alleges that DTI violated USERRA by discharging an employee-Navy reservist when he returned from military service. The former employee had been mobilized in support of Operations Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom.
"This nation depends on our military reservists, and no member of our armed forces should ever be punished or discriminated against for answering the call of duty," says Wan J. Kim, assistant attorney general for the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division.
Based in Arlington, Virginia, DTI provides engineering, technology, and professional services as a contractor to government customers, including the U.S. Navy. Shortly after terminating the Navy reservist, DTI became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Haverstick Consulting, Inc. In January 2006, the Navy awarded DTI a new, five-year, $49 million contract.
The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice was given authority over USERRA in 2004. Since that time, the division has brought 14 USERRA complaints and resolved 13 USERRA claims on behalf of service members.