by Stephen D. Hans | Jan 28, 2014 | Racial Discrimination
Author: Stephen D. Hans Recently, a racial discrimination case filed by former Pennsylvania state police corporal, Maurice Burton was thrown out. The main allegation of the case was that Burton claimed he was penalized for his on-the-job interaction with a white female co-worker. Burton, who is black and now a retired state police corporal, sued the state police over two years ago, claiming that, because of his race, his relationship with a co-worker was subjected to undue scrutiny from his superiors. He also alleged that he was unjustly investigated after reporting a supervisor who made inappropriate sexual comments, was subjected to unwarranted discipline, and denied a promotion to sergeant, because he was black. The state police argued that Burton’s on-the-job interaction with the woman was over the top because the two spent hours together on a daily basis which far exceeded the time required for work purposes. An investigation spurred by Burton’s complaints about a supervisor also called into question whether the two had lied about not socializing outside the office, police claimed. The judge sided with the state police. In her 60-page ruling on the case, Judge Sylvia H. Rambo found that Burton had not provided sufficient proof for any of his discrimination claims. She wrote that his failure to make sergeant was due to his own “mediocre” performance on tests for that rank, not because of his race and that his superiors “had a legitimate prerogative to curb his admitted excessive socialization in the workplace.” Proving race discrimination Just because an employee files a discrimination complaint or lawsuit against you, it is not a foregone conclusion that...
