Jury finds county guilty of race discrimination
- 4/1/10
- Categorized in: DeKalb News
A federal jury found DeKalb County, former CEO Vernon Jones and two other ex-officials guilty of discriminating against two White former Parks and Recreation Department managers based on race and awarded them $185,000 in damages on April 1.
The jury ordered damages to John Drake and the estate of Michael Bryant, who died in February, in the amount of $74,000 from the county, $55,500 from former Parks Department Director Marilyn Boyd Drew and $27,750 each from Jones and his former executive assistant, Richard Stogner.
The jury found no evidence of wrongdoing against former parks managers Becky Kelley and Herbert Lowe. The jury cleared defendant Morris Williams, who was an assistant county administrator and now serves as chief of staff for the Board of Commissioners, of any wrongdoing.
The county would be liable for most of the damages. When it comes to the payment of legal judgments, the DeKalb code states it shall pay up to $50,000 on behalf of an individual employee or a total of $200,000 on behalf of multiple employees being defended in the same case.
That doesn’t include legal fees. The bill for the county’s legal defense was at $2.54 million as of January, long before the trial started, and the plaintiffs’ attorneys said their fees were expected to be at least $2 million.
Jones posed for cameras but wouldn’t comment on the verdict, saying he planned a press conference on April 2. His lead attorney, Brent Wilson, said no decisions had been made about a possible appeal.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs, led by former Georgia Attorney General Mike Bowers, argued that the White managers were demoted, stripped of their job duties, humiliated and had their careers with the county ruined under a scheme to replace them with Blacks.
The defense denied the charges, characterizing the complaints as "petty workplace grievances" that had nothing to do with race, and arguing the White managers saw no loss in pay or benefits.
Please allow the rumor of your ignorance to run and do not speek, type, or converse in any further way to prove its existance.
Yes, as a White American I will admit that wrongs have been done in the past as far as equality and Discrimination toward other races. So you justify the actions of any one who isnt White because of that. Your Moral and sincible compass is way off...
Here is one that Im certain that your mother told you. "2 wrongs dont make a Right". It is ignorant and closed minded people such as yourself that make broad, ignorant and Vinum filled statements that have perpetuated the mistreatment of your own race. If you want to try and portray your race as simple minded, then keep making those statements and shut up when your treated that way. Yes, the feact is that "ALL" Races need to learn understanding and come to the realization that no one is better or worse than any other. Also, that Race baating statements like your are only for those unlightened enough to blame their lack of success on their Color and not on their lack of effort!
BTW, Please learn to Spell words like "Ever" -"You" and "Now". and a little Sentence strutcure and punctuation.....Just Saying.
It is high time that the tax payers of DeKalb County take a look at their government leaders and begin to hold them accountable by asking the hard questions and insisting on answers. While not always agreeing with CEO Jones at least you knew where he stood on most issurs; which is much more than what we get from CEO Ellis.