Three Everett Police officers filed a federal lawsuit against the Everett Police Department claiming racial discrimination. The lawsuit alleges that even though the officers together had more than 60 years of experience, they were denied promotions because of their race. Racial discrimination in the workplace is illegal and a basis for filing an employee rights lawsuit.
Sgt. Garcia was Everett’s first Hispanic and bilingual officer. He alleges that he was treated harshly by superiors and eventually demoted due to his race. In addition, he claims that he city and the police department failed to review or investigate his complaints about the unfair treatment he was receiving.
Sgt Wolfington is a retired officer who left the department last year after a 20-year career there. He is Native American and claims that he was mistreated during his tenure there as well. These two officers repeatedly blamed a Captain for the hostile work environment that they had to endure all these years. The Captain who is under attack was part of a discrimination lawsuit more than 20 years ago as well.
Ofc. Mah, has been with the Everett Police Department for almost 20 years. He insists that officers who failed testing or who ranked lower were promoted ahead of him because he is Asian. Supervisors or city officials also never investigated his complaints.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits race discrimination in the workplace. Even though it is illegal for an employer to discriminate based on race, it still unfortunately happens on a regular basis. To make matters worse, it isn’t always apparent. Employees may be passed over for raises, promotions, or honors simply because of their race or color.
While it may be difficult to prove that you were not promoted because of your race, it is not impossible. As such, if you feel that you have been unfairly treated or denied advancement because of your race, it is important to speak to a Seattle employee rights lawyer immediately.
Contact Seattle Employee Rights Attorneys
If you believe that your employer, a co-worker, or someone in the workplace has violated your employee rights, an experienced Seattle employee rights attorney at Phillips Law Firm can help. If you are interested in learning more about your legal options, call us at 1-800-708-6000. Our Seattle employee rights lawsuit attorneys are waiting to assist you 24/7, offering a free case evaluation. Remember our no fee promise. If we do not recover anything for you, you do not owe us an attorney fee.
The employee rights lawyers at Phillips Law Firm have successfully represented individuals and their families in Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Auburn, Renton, Federal Way, Bellingham, Marysville, Lakewood, Redmond, Shoreline, and throughout the State of Washington.