Diversity & Inclusion

Passed over for being white, woman gets $2.1 million

According to the Kansas City Star, a local jury has awarded more than $2.1 million to Melissa Howard, who said she was passed over for a Kansas City judgeship because she was white. A county assistant prosecutor, she was one of three white women who were finalists for the position but claims that the Kansas City Council didn’t choose her because it wanted a racial minority candidate to replace Walsh.

Jurors awarded Howard $633,333 in actual damages and $1.5 million in punitive damages. According the Kansas City Star, the city is self-insured, and any judgment probably would be paid out of its contingency fund, which will total about $5 million after May 1.

Howard was selected as a finalist for a municipal judgeship in late 2006. The Municipal Judicial Nominating Commission submitted her name, after reviewing applications from 13 applicants, including six minorities. In a 7-6 vote, the City Council rejected that panel of finalists. When a new council took office, it chose a municipal judge from a new panel that didn’t include Howard.

During the selection process, several people, including the then mayor, Kay Barnes, said publicly they were disappointed that the panel lacked racial diversity. “I’m very disappointed we are receiving a panel without a minority woman as one of the three finalists,” Barnes said in a statement at the time.

Furniture manufacturer to pay for racial slurs, harassment
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced the settlement of a racial harassment lawsuit for $465,000 and significant remedial relief against Henredon Furniture Industries, Inc., on behalf of African-American employees who were subjected to a persistent racially hostile work environment. Henredon Furniture, a subsidiary of Furniture Brand International, operated a furniture plant in High Point until January 2006. Furniture Brand International is America’s largest home furnishings manufacturer.

According to the EEOC, from approximately 1998 until January 2006, African- American employees at the Henredon High Point, North Carolina, manufacturing plant were subjected to racial slurs and name-calling, including the “n word.” Threats by hangmen’s nooses were also displayed at the plant. The suit alleged that the harassment occurred almost daily.

In addition to the $465,000 in compensatory damages to be divided among the seven class members, the three-year consent decree resolving the case also includes court-ordered relief. That relief (1) prohibits Henredon from engaging in racial harassment or retaliation, (2) requires antidiscrimination training and the posting of a notice about the settlement, and (3) requires the company to report complaints of racial harassment to the EEOC for further monitoring.

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