According to court reports, a New York man who was a former steel employee has been awarded around 4 million for work-related harassment. The ruling came into effect two years after the man was originally allocated 25 million in compensation by the federal court jury panel. The compensation was later lessened to 6 million after the African-American employee testified about several incidents that occurred at work and caused extensive pain and suffering. Punitive damages of 2.6 million were recommended by the court, contingent upon whether the employee agreed to accept the settlement or not.
The steel plant worker alleged that he had received multiple harassing threats from other employees on a regular basis, including insults, bullying and humiliation that left him unable to cope with normal life. After his eight years of employment, the psychological effects that occurred as a result of his mistreatment still influence his daily life.
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld most of the recommended compensation from the lower court and awarded 1.3 million to the employee; the court reduced punitive damages to 2.6 million, countering the initial 5 million reward. Judges did not disagree with the original verdict that found the victim’s company to be extremely racist.
While the company responsible for the mistreatment of one of their employees announced that they agreed with the Second Circuit that the punitive assessment was exaggerated because they are completely against workplace discrimination, it is probable that the negative environment the victim worked in has caused damages that are longstanding. The psychological effects of being the target of racial hatred in a workplace may affect an individual for years to come, regardless of whether the company professes to be an equal opportunity employer. Someone who has suffered harassment due to their race in the workplace may choose to consult a lawyer in order to seek compensation.
Source: Steel Guru, “US court awards nearly USD 4 million to former steel worker at ArcelorMittal“, January 03, 2015
