Man Awarded $1 Million After Co-Worker Put Noose On Neck
CONROE, Texas -- A man was awarded a million dollar settlement after his co-worker put a noose around his neck and choked him in the company bathroom, officials told KPRC-TV in Houston on Tuesday.
Charles Hickman worked at CCSI, Commercial Coating Services Inc., near Conroe in Montgomery County in 2002.
He sued his former employer for racial discrimination and harassment after verbal harassment turned into physical abuse in one of the company's restrooms.
Hickman said the harassment culminated in October 2002 when a white colleague placed a noose around his neck in a bathroom and began choking him while co-workers watched.
Hickman said he lost consciousness briefly before his boss intervened.
"I never did get, 'I'm sorry Mr. Hickman -- what that guy ever did to you.' I never got that," Hickman said. "I was scared. I thought I wasn't going to be here today talking to you."
The company agreed to a settlement of more than $1 million and will pay Hickman's medical bills. It will also place a marker on the premises indicating that Hickman was a dedicated employee.
"Without a doubt, in the 16 years that I've been practicing, this is the worst case of discrimination I've ever seen," said Rudy Sustaita, an attorney with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Sustaita said that prior to the attack, managers at CCSI did not stop employees from harassing Hickman after complaints were filed.
The EEOC said changes would also come with the settlement.
"They're going to train their employees. They're going to let them know that this sort of behavior is not the sort of thing that is acceptable," Sustaita said.
Hickman started working at CCSI in March 2002 through a job with a temporary agency. Five months later, he was made a fulltime employee as a sandblaster. He quit in October after the alleged incident.
Hickman said he stayed on the job despite the harassment and discrimination to support his wife and five children.
"There is no dollar figure, whatever, that can justify what happened because I'm mentally scarred," Hickman said.
The company, which is under new management, did not comment about the settlement. It agreed to work with the EEOC to overhaul its hiring and employment practices. At the time of the attack, Hickman was the only Black employee of the company. That has since changed.
The coworker accused of putting the noose around Hickman's neck pleaded guilty of a class A misdemeanor assault. He served a 270-day sentence and was fined $100 for court costs.
http://www.nbc30.com/money/8208096/detail.html
"There is no dollar figure, whatever, that can justify what happened because I'm mentally scarred," Hickman said.
1 million would be fine for me :thumb:
Dont be a robot, be human.
PSN: Di3heart
Bookmarks