Former City Light Employee Receives $812,250 Settlement in Discrimination Lawsuit

It’s not every day that you hear about a race discrimination and harassment case based on a hostile workplace environment. However, a recent seattletimes.nwsource.com article reported on such an incident. According to the report, the city of Seattle recently settled a discrimination lawsuit with an ex-employee of City Light for $812,250. The woman was awarded $503,000 in 2007 for race discrimination and harassment. Interestingly, the city’s appeal after the 2007 case resulted in the appeals courts upholding the harassment verdict, but dismissing the half a million dollar damage award due to the statute of limitations having already expired.

Based on the article, the jury determined that the woman had endured workplace hostility because of her race and that she was underpaid for the work she was doing. The jury verdict also found that City Light discriminated against her and another long-term employee who was awarded $947,000. At the time of the award, it was the fifth incident within ten years that City Light had either settled or had a jury rule against it in a racial-discrimination case. The four prior incidents cost the city-owned utility over $1 million.

Although the above mentioned case did not involve a personal injury accident that caused harm to a worker while on the job, the case is indicative of the many responsibilities that an employer has the duty of upholding. The discrimination case also emphasizes the importance of understanding the elements of the statue of limitations when filing a claim against another person or entity.

Statutes of limitations play a role in many different kinds of cases, personal injury included. A person who has been victimized has various legal rights when seeking compensatory damages for harm that has befallen them as a result of another person’s mistreatment, neglect, or ill-will. However, if they fail to file their claim within a specified timeframe after the incident originally occured, the statute of limitations may run out and it may no longer be valid.

If you have been injured while at work, you may qualify to seek damages beyond workers’ compensation, which is often not sufficient enough to cover the hefty expenses a serious injury often presents. At the Bernard Law Group, our experienced Seattle work injury attorneys have the extensive skills and legal knowledge that you need in order to obtain a successful outcome in your work injury case. To learn more about how we can assist you with your case and ensure that your rights as an injury victim are protected, call the Bernard Law Group today at 1-800-418-8282 for a free consultation.

Source report: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010210946_weblawsuit05m.html