A New Jersey jury has recently found that two men who worked for the State Department of Corrections were the victims of racial discrimination. According to the plaintiffs’ evidence introduced at trial, the two officers were subjected to demeaning racial slurs from their supervisors, who also permitted inmates to participate in the verbal abuse.

The officers, who are white, were called “good ‘ole country boys,” “onions,” “white devils,” and “crackers,” among other names, by their African-American supervisors. The two men lodged complaints about the treatment they received at work, but their supervisors did not move to end the derogatory language.

Instead, they charged the two officers with abusing the inmates, according to the plaintiffs’ attorney. The inmates, however, stated that they had never been abused by the two officers. After the attempted retaliation failed, the supervisors then sought to hide the evidence that they had tried to set the officers up for speaking out about the discriminatory language.

People of all races can be the victims of discrimination, and their claims are viewed equally in the eyes of the law. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the relevant federal law on the subject, while New Jersey has its own statute, called the Law Against Discrimination, that offers even greater protections to the victims of racial discrimination.

The jury in this case also gave the officers damage awards of $3 million. In describing their reactions to the conclusion of the case, one officer stated that he felt “relieved,” while the other said that he was “vindicated.”

Source: CBS New York, “EXCLUSIVE: N.J. Jury Rules Black Supervisors Discriminated Against White Corrections Officers,” Sept. 6, 2012

• Workers who are subjected to racial discrimination at work should know what steps they need to take to protect their rights. If you would like to learn more about our firm, please visit our Mercer County racial discrimination page.