Federal Prison Worker Receives $25,000 Settlement in Claim for Racial Discrimination, Retaliation
On June 16, 2003, a federal prison employee settled her complaint against the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), where she alleged she was subjected to racial epithets, and then a slew of retaliatory acts after she complained about it. The case settled for just over $25,000, plus several other considerations. Documents relating to this case were acquired by PLN after a longstanding Freedom of Information Act request was just recently fulfilled by the federal government.
Jennieva Randall, an African-American, was employed at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles (MCC-LA) as a medical records administrator when, in May 1998, she filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice that a dentist at MDC-LA used the N-word during a staff meeting. Following the filing of that complaint, Randall filed three more complaints alleging she suffered numerous acts of retaliation afterwards.
Among the acts of retaliation alleged by Randall were that she was (1) subject to numerous unfounded investigations, (1) threatened by supervisors, (3) denied a supervisory position, (4) omitted from staff meetings, (5) verbally abused, (6) had then blinds and door removed from her office, (7) told to move to another department, and (8) denied an award given to all others in her department.
Randall's complaints went to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), where additional allegations of harassment -including unsupported poor performance evaluations and being accused of doing drugs -- were lodged. In total, Randall filed four separate complaints, each of which ended up at the EEOC. Randall, who represented herself throughout the proceedings, entered into a settlement agreement and agreed to dismiss her four complaints in return for the following:
Payment of $25,300 to cover damages, expenses, and costs, and which also included a $1,500 "Special Act Award" to which Randall claimed she was improperly denied, (2) a letter recognizing her "exceptional medical records maintenance in 1998," (3) a promise to give a pay increase and promotion, (4) restoration of 288 hours of sick leave, and (5) an agreement that the MDC-LA warden will issue guidelines to all employees stating that discriminatory acts will not be tolerated and that all person are to be treated with "dignity and respect." See: Randall v. Ashcroft, EEOC Case No. 340-A0-3819X (June 16, 2003).
As a digital subscriber to Prison Legal News, you can access full text and downloads for this and other premium content.
Already a subscriber? Login
Related legal case
Randall v. Ashcroft
| Year | 2003 |
|---|---|
| Cite | EEOC Case No. 340-A0-3819X (June 16, 2003) |
| Level | Administrative Agency |
| Conclusion | Settlement |
| Damages | 25,300 |