Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against the City of Dallas Alleging Race
Discrimination and Retaliation
WASHINGTON, June 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Department of Justice
announced today that it has filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for
the Northern District of Texas against the city of Dallas, alleging that the
city subjected Frenchell Willis, an African-American and a former general
laborer for the city, to discrimination on the basis of his race by
terminating Willis from his position as a general laborer in the Wastewater
Operations Division of the City's Water Utilities Department. The complaint
also alleges that the city subjected Willis to retaliation by terminating him
for opposing conduct that he reasonably believed to be unlawful under Title
VII.
Willis was assigned to work as a general laborer in the Dallas Water Utilities
Department in October 2006. Willis reported that his immediate supervisor
referred to Willis using racial slurs. On the day Willis reported the use of
racial slurs by his immediate supervisor to senior management in the Dallas
Water Utilities Department, Willis was terminated by the city.
"Title VII prohibits discrimination in employment and protects individuals
from retaliation when they exercise their rights under the law," said Grace
Chung Becker, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division.
"The Department is committed to enforcing all the federal civil rights laws,
including Title VII, under its jurisdiction."
The continued enforcement of Title VII has been a priority of the Justice
Department's Civil Rights Division. Additional information about the Civil
Rights Division of the Justice Department is available on its Web site at
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/.
SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice
U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs, +1-202-514-2007, TDD,
+1-202-514-1888
