Same-race Harassment Settlement
If same-sex harassment cases are relatively uncommon, same-race harassment cases are downright rare. This article covers a recent settlement in a same-sex harassment case brought by the EEOC (and apparently intervened in by the charging parties) in Dallas. The facts are . . . a little different. From the article:
[Donald Sneed, former executive director of the South Dallas AIDS agency being sued], [is] an African-American activist who has led several protests in Oak Lawn against white gay people. [He] was accused of subjecting the black employees he supervised to the frequent use of an ethnic slur. The slurs were used in conjunction with references to slavery and violence committed against black people in the 19th Century, according to the complaints.
Yep, that's an African-American director of an AIDS agency who leads protests against white gays and was accused of racially harassing black employees. That is a fact pattern you just don't run into every day, even if you are an employment lawyer.
To add more fun to the mix, the agency was a recipient of Dallas County tax dollars. In August 2004, a Dallas County Auditor?s report questioned how the organization spent government funds and asked it to return $133,824. The agency is now defunct, however, insurance is apparently going to cover the settlement.