A civil court jury on Monday returned a $1.1 million verdict against the City of Los Angeles, finding in favor of a black firefighter who said he had been discriminated against during a nearly three-decade career because of his race.
The verdict comes after 16 days of deliberation — and six years after another jury ruled against Jabari S. Jumaane, who alleged a pattern of racial bias, harassment and retaliation in the Los Angeles Fire Department when he worked as a fire inspector. That decision was overturned after an appeals court granted a new trial, agreeing that there had been jury misconduct in the original case.
According to a 2012 report by the city’s office of the independent assessor on fire department litigation, Jumaane’s allegation of jury misconduct included a declaration by a juror who “claimed to have witnessed racially motivated misconduct by fellow jurors.”
The retrial jury’s ruling is a blow to a department that has found itself accused of systematic discrimination — particularly against black firefighters — in the past.
“We just received the verdict and are reviewing the decision and assessing all options including grounds for appeal,” said Rob Wilcox, a spokesman for City Atty. Mike Feuer.
Jumaane, who has been with the department for more than 27 years but is no longer an inspector, said he was pleased but not surprised by the jury's conclusion.
“I think the evidence speaks for itself,” he said. “The evidence beckoned for the verdict the jury found."
His attorney, Nana Gyamfi, said the verdict was long in coming.
“It's more than just a sense of gratitude, it's a sense of vindication,” she said. “As he said during the trial when he was questioned by the defense, all he was looking for was for some reasonable people to take a look at his situation and recognize the injustice within it. And that's what happened.”
According to a 2012 report by the city’s office of the independent assessor on fire department litigation, Jumaane’s allegation of jury misconduct included a declaration by a juror who “claimed to have witnessed racially motivated misconduct by fellow jurors.”
The retrial jury’s ruling is a blow to a department that has found itself accused of systematic discrimination — particularly against black firefighters — in the past.
“We just received the verdict and are reviewing the decision and assessing all options including grounds for appeal,” said Rob Wilcox, a spokesman for City Atty. Mike Feuer.
Jumaane, who has been with the department for more than 27 years but is no longer an inspector, said he was pleased but not surprised by the jury's conclusion.
“I think the evidence speaks for itself,” he said. “The evidence beckoned for the verdict the jury found."
His attorney, Nana Gyamfi, said the verdict was long in coming.
“It's more than just a sense of gratitude, it's a sense of vindication,” she said. “As he said during the trial when he was questioned by the defense, all he was looking for was for some reasonable people to take a look at his situation and recognize the injustice within it. And that's what happened.”
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-fire-department-lawsuit-20131125,0,7476986.story#ixzz2lwzrWJnf
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