Redwood City settled for $2.1 million with Joseph Echema, a Redwood City firefighter who filed a lawsuit in July 2020 for complaints of harassment, retaliation and negligence because he is a Black man.
The City Council approved the settlement on Monday, according to City Attorney Veronica Ramirez. Included in the payout is $955,000 that will go to Echema’s attorney Na’il Benjamin.
In a statement, Benjamin said he is happy to bring closure to this part of Echema’s life.
“[Echema] is moving forward with his beautiful family, and focusing on the many blessings surrounding him now, and that he will experience during life’s journey,” Benjamin said.
In the lawsuit, Echema said his superior and peers at the Redwood City Fire Department contributed to a hostile work environment at the department for years, resulting in him filing multiple complaints to the city’s Human Resources Department.
Echema did receive “derogatory, crude or offensive statements, jokes or images related to race,” according to the Human Resource Department’s findings in 2019.
After filling the complaints with HR, Echema said he was retaliated against and demoted from his position without proper notice or rationale, according to the lawsuit.
The settlement with the city came ahead of a jury trial slated to begin Oct. 28.
The city did not respond to request for comment.
(1) comment
Would be interesting to know if the racist environment has changed, or if anyone was fired for their involvement. Taxpayers shouldn't have to pay for institutionalized racism allowed and perhaps encouraged by top brass.
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