A New Jersey judge has handed down a decision in favor of an employee who was wrongfully terminated from his position with a New Jersey construction company in August 2008. The company will have to provide the man with compensation and pay in the amount of $179,000. In addition, the state has assessed a $10,000 penalty against the company for violating the law.

The man’s firing was far from the only instance of misconduct at the company, however. His termination was a retaliatory measure for his complaints that his supervisor subjected him to a hostile work environment. According to documents from the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights, the supervisor would demean the man, who is African American, on the basis of his race.

Specifically, the supervisor would use racial epithets around the man and, when he approached other workers, the supervisor would suggest that everyone should keep a close watch on their valuables. Other instances of racial discrimination included statements from the supervisor that the man “should remove the brown color from his face.”

Despite having the skills to perform the work required of him, the man was consistently relegated to more menial tasks while white workers who had joined the company after him were given more favorable work. This inversion of assignments occurred even though his work had been evaluated positively in company performance assessments.

Racial discrimination and retaliatory firing are prohibited by federal and New Jersey laws. Relief for victims can include compensation and ensuring that their former employers conform their practices to the law.

Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer, “Mount Laurel firm penalized in discrimination case,” Darran Simon, June 8, 2012