A man who spent years transporting patients to medical appointments is suing his former employer, claiming he was unlawfully fired after failing a criminal background check despite having worked the job without incident for nearly three years. James Blakney filed a lawsuit in federal court in Washington, D.C., alleging his termination violated local civil rights law.
According to the complaint, Blakney had successfully passed three criminal background checks during his employment before suddenly being denied continued work in 2024. Blakney worked as a driver transporting patients to and from medical appointments, a role he says he performed safely and responsibly. Court records show Blakney has a criminal history that includes a 2007 felony conviction for heroin distribution.
He was also charged with assault on a police officer in 2000, though that charge was later reduced and resolved as a misdemeanor conviction for destruction of property. Despite the age and resolution of that case, Blakney says it was cited as the reason he could no longer work.
The lawsuit names Medical Transportation Management Inc., a Missouri-based company that subcontracts with OnTime Transportation, which operates in the D.C. area. Blakney began working with the companies around June 2021, according to court filings.
Blakney claims MTM enforces a zero-tolerance policy for violent convictions or charges, regardless of how long ago they occurred or an employee’s performance history. His lawsuit argues that such a policy violates the D.C. Human Rights Act and disproportionately harms Black workers.
“We did our time. We did everything,” Blakney said. “We shouldn’t have to keep going through this over and over again… especially after 15, 20 years that the case is over and done with.”
Advocates say policies like the one described in the lawsuit can have far-reaching consequences. Sarah Bessell of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs said broad criminal background bans often have a discriminatory impact.
“That means a blanket criminal background policy is going to have an outsized impact on Black workers,” Bessell said, noting that while Black residents make up roughly half of D.C.’s population, they represent a much larger share of felony convictions.
According to the complaint, Blakney received an email from an MTM credentialing coordinator stating he was rejected because his record showed assault on a police officer, even though that charge was reduced decades ago.
The case is currently pending in the D.C. federal court. Neither OnTime Transportation nor Medical Transportation Management Inc. has responded publicly to requests for comment.
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