DOJ Racial Discrimination Suit Against Venice, Florida Over Firing of Black Employee Reaches Settlment

September 30, 2020

A settlement was reached between the Department of Justice and the city of Venice, Fla in a lawsuit that involved racial discrimination against a Black employee.

The lawsuit said that the city of Venice violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for continuously discriminating against a 30-year-old Black employee. The city apparently gave the man disciplinary actions that were unnecessary and unwarranted like two unpaid suspensions.

The lawsuit alleged that he was fired because of his race.

The DOJ said that the harsh discipline of this man was unjust and illegal racial discrimination.

The DOJ also said the city did not have any legitimate reasons for treating the man more harshly than his white coworkers.

Court documents show that the city disciplined the man nine times in a two-year period. These disciplinary actions included three separate scoldings in one day. According to court records, these disciplinary actions were for minor infractions, such as taking lunch breaks in public parks, workplace rules that were never enforced against the man’s white coworkers.

The man was ultimately fired by the city without justification, according to reports. He was the only Black employee working in the Parks Division of the city’s Public Works Department.

The man said he was forced to endure racial slurs, including the use of the n-word, which was used in his presence. He also said his work was always scrutinized and faulted.

Discrimination in the workplace based on race or the color of a person’s skin are strictly prohibited under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Employers cannot discriminate against employees because of their skin color or race for any of the following practices:

• Recruiting or hiring a prospective employee
• Terminating an employee
• Promoting an employee
• Paying an employee
• Training opportunities or other workplace advancements
• Any condition of employment

What Constitutes Racial Discrimination in the Workplace?

There are many things that can fall under the practice of racial discrimination, including but not limited to the following:

• Finding job applicants from sources that makes sure all applicants, or most of the applicants, are one race.
• Creating barriers to job entry that have no correlation to job duties, like requiring a college degree, that is unconnected to the job itself.
• An employer asking pre employment questions that lead to answers that would indicate race.
• Employers using racial or ethnic slurs in the workplaces. On this same note, employers that allow their employees to use discriminatory slurs in the workplace without consequence.
• Keeping employees separated from other worker’s all based on skin color or race. An example of this action could be placing a worker in an undesirable work location all because of the color of their skin.
• Paying an employee less than their fellow coworkers who hold the same position and have the same experience, all because of their skin color.
• Terminating an employee just for their skin color rather than poor work performance or any other legitimate reason for firing an employee.

There are numerous ways for you to take legal action against your employer for discrimination in the workplace. You need to consult with an employment lawyer in order to understand all of your legal options. Our Florida Discrimination Lawyers at Whittel & Melton are here for you 24/7 to provide you with a free and confidential consultation. You can meet with us in private and no one will ever have to know you spoke with our employment attorneys regarding your rights. If you are worried about retaliation or wrongful termination, we can assure you that you have rights that pertain to these actions as well. We are happy to discuss these with you and assist with numerous employment matters, such as unpaid overtime, discrimination, sexual harassent, and Civil Rights.

We want to stress the fact that it is illegal for an employer to discriminate against your or any other employee based on skin color or race. If you have been the victim of workplace racial discrimination, we want to help you take legal action to hold your employer responsible for their wrongful actions. We strongly urge you to get in touch with us immediately so that we can help you understand how to proceed. We will walk you through every single step of the claims process and will never collect any up front fees. We only get paid if we recover a financial award on your behalf.