News Notes: Big Verdict Affirmed in Race-Bias Case

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a $3.1 million verdict, including a $2.6 million punitive damage award, for an executive who claimed he was discriminated against and fired because of his Chinese nationality and ethnicity. Wei Zhang, who before coming to the United States was a business and economics professor in China, was a vice president at American Gem Seafoods Inc. in Seattle. He claimed he was excluded from management meetings, his name was left off lists of management in industry publications, and he was terminated publicly without a consistent explanation. He also charged that the president of American Gem’s corporate parent made derogatory comments, including that he mistrusted Zhang because he was Chinese.