Lawyers USA Online » race discrimination

Court reverses itself in striking $3.5M punitive award against Chrysler

Pat Murphy — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:10:13 +0000

A Chrysler employee failed to produce sufficient evidence of malice or recklessness to justify a substantial award of punitive damages in a Title VII hostile environment case, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled.

The 7th Circuit had
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Isolated racial epithet supported hostile environment suit

Pat Murphy — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:44:57 +0000

A superior’s use of a racial epithet on one occasion constituted compelling evidence that a federal employee experienced a hostile work environment, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has ruled in reversing a summary judgment.

The plaintiff is an African-American who worked at Fannie Mae. According to
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Fee-shifting doesn’t apply in Title VII retaliation case

Pat Murphy — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:36:27 +0000

An employee who sued for mixed-motive retaliation was not entitled to an award under a Title VII fee- and cost-shifting provision, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in affirming judgment.

The plaintiff sued under Title VII, alleging that his employer disciplined him in retaliation for his complaints
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Attorney’s lawsuit against ex-firm is dismissed

Sylvia Hsieh — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 17:28:43 +0000

An attorney’s race discrimination suit against law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan has been dismissed on summary judgment by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Kisshia Simmons-Grant, a former contract attorney for the firm, alleged that she was assigned less lucrative work than other
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Civil rights plaintiff can’t proceed under §1981

Pat Murphy — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 16:58:51 +0000

A civil rights plaintiff could not circumvent §1983’s two-year statute of limitations by suing for race discrimination under §1981, the 6th Circuit has ruled in affirming a dismissal.

The plaintiff pursued a degree in psychology at a state university. In 2006, the faculty voted against promoting the plaintiff to doctoral
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Retaliation suit must satisfy exhaustion requirement

Pat Murphy — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 16:50:24 +0000

A Title VII retaliation suit could not proceed because the plaintiff failed to exhaust her administrative remedies, the 8th Circuit has ruled in affirming a dismissal.

The plaintiff filed a charge for Title VII sex and race discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after the defendant removed her from
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Title VII case can proceed under ‘cat’s paw’ theory

Pat Murphy — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 16:35:00 +0000

A Title VII plaintiff could impute the racial animus of a supervisor to the decision maker who imposed discipline against him for horseplay at work, the 6th Circuit has ruled in reversing a summary judgment.

The plaintiff is an African-American employee of the defendant. The plaintiff was “written up” for
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Employees can’t pursue pattern-or-practice claim

Pat Murphy — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 20:31:41 +0000

Asian-American police officers who claimed they were passed over for promotions because of their race could not recover damages under a pattern-or-practice disparate treatment theory of liability, the 2nd Circuit has ruled in reversing judgment.

The plaintiffs are 11 Asian Americans who are current or former police officers for the
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City, officers to settle racial discrimination suit

Tony Ogden — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 15:44:24 +0000

The city of Springfield, Ill. and three city police officers are in the process of settling a race discrimination lawsuit filed by the three in 2004, according to federal court records.

Read the full article from The State Journal-Register: City, officers to settle reverse discrimination suit

Benchmarks: Bananas helped create hostile environment

Pat Murphy — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 14:39:43 +0000

The 11th Circuit on Monday recognized that the appearance of less-obvious symbols of racism in the workplace may be enough to sustain a Title VII hostile environment claim.

The court reached that conclusion in the case of an African-American UPS
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