EMPLOYMENT LAW: Briggs Equipment to Pay $112,000 as Settlement for Race Discrimination

August 25, 2011

Texas- Briggs Equipment, Inc., a Dallas construction company, has agreed to pay $112,000 to a former worker as settlement for a race discrimination suit filed by Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), according to agency's website today.

Reports said Bobby Wysong, who is Black American, suffered harassment from his supervisor and was terminated because of his race. The employee narrated how Mario Rodriguez, the company manager, would call him "n----r" and "mayate" in the workplace. Wysong also stated that Rodriguez would explicitly say that he wanted him fired.

The aggrieved employee reported to EEOC how his employer failed to correct the harassment and fired him as a technician because he is black. Other Briggs employees confirmed to EEOC officials that Rodriguez has hurled racist remarks in the facility.

Wysong also complained to the agency that the termination led to the cancellation of his health insurance, after which he needed to shoulder his medical expenses for an orthopedic surgery.

The federal agency filed the race discrimination lawsuit in US District Court for the Southern District of Texas in Laredo after initiating a conciliation process. The Briggs management agreed to pay Wysung $112,000 as monetary relief. The employer also assented to pay the aggrieved employee's medical expenses, amounting to $273,000 as well as comply with other EEOC regulations.