SEYMOUR — The city of Seymour has agreed to pay $4,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a former employee who claimed that city officials had retaliated against him after he reported a co-worker made racist comments.
Earlier this month, the two parties notified the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana that they had reached a settlement agreement and planned to ask the court to dismiss the lawsuit.
However, the city initially refused to release the terms of the agreement, claiming that it was exempt from disclosure under Indiana public records law. The plaintiff’s attorney also declined to discuss the terms of the deal because “Seymour insisted that it be confidential.”
But after The Republic communicated to city officials that the denial of turning over public records would be turned over to Indiana’s public access counselor, Seymour then provided a copy of the settlement.
Under the terms of the agreement, the city does not admit any wrongdoing and “denies said allegations and claims.” The $4,000 will come from the city’s insurance policy, said Seymour City Attorney Christina Engleking.
The deal follows a lawsuit filed this past September in which former Seymour Department of Public Workers employee Gary Ford claimed, among other things, that he was subjected to intimidation and false accusations of wrongdoing after city officials were required to participate in a federal discrimination training class prompted by racist comments allegedly made against him, the lawsuit states.
Ford, who is Black, alleges in the lawsuit that a co-worker named Joe Williams used a racial slur and asked him “whether he was upset there was no fried chicken, watermelon or Kool-Aid for lunch,” according to the lawsuit. Ford allegedly reported the incident to the city’s human resources department.
As a result of the complaint, Ford and other city officials were required to participate in a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission discrimination training class, the lawsuit states.
During the class, Williams allegedly acknowledged that he used the racial slur, claiming that his use of the word “was a joke,” according to the lawsuit. However, Williams denied making the comment about the food.
For the complete story, see Wednesday’s Republic.
