EXCLUSIVE — A Michigan law firm, which previously blasted a lawsuit over its diversity scholarships as “completely frivolous,” has agreed to remove race-based language from its award criteria and end a lawsuit filed last November.
According to a joint announcement on Monday, the firm Buckfire & Buckfire, P.C. reached an agreement with Do No Harm and the American Alliance for Equal Rights to amicably resolve the case. The parties filed a joint stipulation of dismissal on Feb. 27 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
The complaint, filed on Nov. 13, alleged that the firm’s Medical Diversity Scholarship and Law School Diversity Scholarship violated the Civil Rights Act of 1866 by limiting eligibility to students who were “a member of an ethnic, racial, or other minority” or who demonstrated a commitment to diversity. The suit was brought on behalf of three students.
Challengers said the firm’s scholarships automatically deemed anyone who was “a member of an ethnic, racial, or other minority” eligible, while white applicants had to clear what the lawsuit described as an extra hurdle by “demonstrat[ing] a defined commitment to issues of diversity.”
Under the settlement, Buckfire agreed to remove all references to race as eligibility or selection criteria and clarify that its scholarships do not give preference to any student based on race or ethnicity. The firm will also state that it does not limit “diversity” to any one experience, characteristic, or circumstance.
Stanley Goldfarb, chairman of Do No Harm, said, “To make clear that the scholarship programs are open to all, Buckfire will remove all references to race as eligibility or selection criteria.”
“Do No Harm believes scholarships should be equally open to all races and is thankful that Buckfire agrees,” Goldfarb added.
Edward Blum, president of the American Alliance for Equal Rights, said he was “grateful” the matter was resolved without further litigation.
Blum is also the president of Students For Fair Admissions, a membership organization whose mission has been to eliminate racial and ethnic classifications in school admissions.
Following SFFA’s 2023 Supreme Court victories in two cases, involving Harvard and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, numerous schools and businesses across the country have been put on notice about policies they employ that could discriminate on the basis of race if a program is not structured around merit-based award systems.
Last November, Blum said the law firm’s program was “flabbergasting.”
“There are many deserving students from all races and ethnicities who need help affording law and medical school. Excluding some of them because of their race is unfair and unlawful.”
MICHIGAN LAW FIRM SUED OVER ALLEGED RACIAL BIAS IN DIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIPS
Buckfire had previously defended the scholarships, which award $2,000 annually to one student in each category, and insisted they were open to applicants of all races. Firm president Lawrence Buckfire in November called the lawsuit “a hoax of a case,” adding it was “completely frivolous legally and factually,” and accused the plaintiffs of sour grapes.
In a statement announcing the dismissal, Buckfire said that helping students achieve their educational dreams remains central to the firm’s mission and that it looks forward to continuing its scholarship programs, consistent with its commitment to diversity.