Jury awards $17 million in national origin discrimination case

A federal jury has just awarded a man almost $17 million in a national origin discrimination case.  According to court documents, the man was repeatedly criticized and berated because his Arab background and his accent.  The man is highly educated – with a PhD in industrial engineering.  However, despite his education and training, his supervisors treated him as a low-level employee.  His supervisor made fun of him and criticized his English skills on a weekly basis, including slamming his fists on the table and yelling at him.  After suffering nearly a year, the worker went on medical leave for stress.  He was later terminated after filing a claim for discrimination.

The award included damages for retirement and pension losses and emotional distress.  However, most of the verdict – $15 million – was for punitive damages.  Punitive damage awards are designed to send a message and punish the defendant and hopefully deter future bad conduct.  Hopefully, this verdict will send a message to not only this defendant but to all workplaces that discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated.

For more information, or if you or a loved one has faced any type of workplace discrimination, please contact the experienced Atlanta discrimination lawyers at Buckley Bala Wilson Mew LLP for an immediate case evaluation.