California lawsuit says Ralphs broke the law by asking job-seekers about their criminal histories

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California has sued the Ralphs supermarket chain, alleging it violated state law by asking job-seekers whether they had criminal records and illegally rejecting hundreds of applicants. The California Civil Rights Department on Thursday said that Ralphs ignored the state’s Fair Chance Act, which took effect in 2018. It bars employers from asking about criminal histories before offering jobs and only allows them to rescind the offer if the crime would impact the job offered. Ralphs’ parent company, Kroger, didn’t immediately return a request for comment.