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Mental distress may result from workplace discrimination

Many people face struggles on a daily basis simply based on the color of their skin. Unfortunately, many California residents may deal with unjust treatment due to the discriminatory actions of other individuals. When that type of treatment comes as workplace discrimination, the situation could potentially lead to legal action if complaints go unaddressed.

It was recently reported that one man in another state took such steps due to inaction on the part of his employers, following complaints regarding derogatory racial comments. The Jamaican native works in a mental hospital and claimed that co-workers made comments relating to their hatred of black people and that black people needed to “go back to their country.” Though the man and other black employees complained to supervisors, the behavior continued.

In addition to comments from co-workers, the man also claims that he and other black workers were assigned tasks with a higher chance of physical violence than tasks given to white workers. The man filed his lawsuit against the state and two co-workers in hopes of gaining $25,000 in compensation for emotional anguish and mental distress that the discriminatory situation caused him. The state’s Department of Mental Health did not provide a comment.

Though the first step toward addressing workplace discrimination is often to file reports with superiors, as this case shows, those reports may not have the desired outcomes. In the event that discriminatory behavior is allowed to continue, filing lawsuits against the responsible parties may be warranted. California workers who believe they have been subjected to such action may wish to look into their legal options.

Source: stltoday.com, “State facing another workplace discrimination lawsuit“, Kurt Erickson, Oct. 5, 2017

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