$38,000 Verdict in Federal Court Gender Discrimination Case

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Philip Thomas

The Clarion-Ledger reported Monday on a January 7, 2011 jury verdict of $38,000 in a gender discrimination case by Mary Beth Watt against the Miss. Dept. of Wildlife. The verdict was in the federal district court in Jackson.

The article states:

Mary Beth Watt, hired in January 2008, said she was fired about six months after she complained about gender discrimination.When Watt, now 33, began working with Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, there were 185 male law enforcement officers, referred to as conservation officers, at the time.

After completing her training, Watt was first assigned to Noxubee County, then reassigned to Hinds County. Watt said she was reassigned in order to make her job circumstances difficult and to pressure her to resign, according to court records.

Watt alleged she was the only academy graduate to be sent to a different county. She also said that as a single parent of a young child the transfer presented a hardship.

Believing that her transfer was because of gender discrimination, Watt complained to DWFP Commissioner Charles Rigdon and state Sen. Terry Brown.

The department then terminated Watt in a letter dated July 24, 2008, "on the grounds that she had 'gone outside the chain of command.' "

That does sound like a b.s. reason for firing someone.

Here is the Plaintiff's Complaint in the case.

Here is Judge Dan Jordan's Order denying summary judgment.

Here is the jury's verdict.

Here is the judgment.

Plaintiff can now recover attorney's fees as the prevailing party in a discrimination case. That presumably could substantially increase the State's total liability.

Plaintiff also plans to file a motion to require the Department to reinstate her to her old job.

Jim Waide and Rachel Pierce of Tupelo represented the Plaintiff. Peter Cleveland of the A.G.'s office represented the State.

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$205,506 Federal Court Verdict Against Miss. Dept. of Education for Racial Discrimination

Posted on April 13, 2010 by Philip Thomas

Last week the Clarion-Ledger reported on a $205,506 federal court jury verdict for Melissa Ross, who alleged that she was wrongfully fired from the Mississippi School for the Deaf because she is black. The jury awarded Ross $40,506 for back pay and $165,000 for pain and suffering/ mental anguish/ loss of enjoyment of life/ emotional pain. Here is the Form of the Verdict on file with the Court.

 The C-L article states:

According to the lawsuit, Ross was hired at the deaf school as a special education teacher for Family Consumer Science. She was not proficient in sign language but was trying to improve, according to the lawsuit.

In a 2007 complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Ross said she was hired in August 2006 and was promoted with a raise in February 2007. But in May 2007, she was given a bad evaluation because she was not proficient in sign language and was told she would be fired that July, according to the complaint.

In the complaint, Ross pointed out six black teachers were fired effective July 2007.

The Department of Education was successful in getting some of the claims thrown out in a motion for partial summary judgment. Here is the Court’s Order on that motion.

Michael Brown of Jackson represented the plaintiff. Peter Cleveland with the Miss. Attorney General’s office represented the Department of Education.

The case was in the Jackson Division and was tried before Judge Henry Wingate.

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