Trending...
- Tampa-Based Digital Marketing Agency Launches New Website to Help Local Businesses Grow Online - 118
- California: Governor Newsom announces new tax credits that will generate $2.1 billion investment in world's 4th largest economy
- New PSA Campaign to Address Black Maternal and Infant Mortality in Los Angeles County
LOS ANGELES - Californer -- A jury has awarded nearly $25 million to a former Bassett Unified School District (BUSD) teacher in a retaliation suit represented by Ivie McNeill Wyatt Purcell and Diggs attorney Rodney Diggs (https://www.imwlaw.com/rodney-diggs) and co-counsel, Britany Engelman of Engelman Law.
Dr. Michael Ross, a former teacher in the school district, alleged he was fired in 2019 in retaliation for having previously brought a discrimination suit, and because he'd spoken out about sexual misconduct by a district custodian. Dr. Ross had served for 25 years as the only African American male teacher in the system, which is located in La Puente in Los Angeles County.
Diggs successfully argued in Los Angeles Superior Court that after settling his 2016 discrimination lawsuit, officials at BUSD retaliated by ultimately terminating Dr. Ross less than 40 days later.
More on The Californer
"The jury awarded our client $25 million, which included back pay and emotional damages," said Diggs, who also represented Ross in the previous lawsuit against the district. "The jury got it right. He was terminated for pretextual reasons."
In 2016, represented by Diggs and Engelman, Dr. Ross settled his lawsuit against BUSD for discriminated and harassed against him solely on the basis of his race. Diggs described a litany of discriminatory acts Ross endured while employed by the district including racial epithets with Ross' name spray painted on the school's campus and anonymous racially charged letters in his mailbox, which were accessible to others in the administration.
Dr. Ross settled that lawsuit while still employed with the district, only to be placed on administrative leave after officials wrongly claimed he had falsified time records during a summer school session. Dr. Ross' leave extended to two years before he was terminated.
More on The Californer
"Filing a discrimination lawsuit six years ago on behalf of Dr. Michael Ross so angered officials at Bassett Unified School District that they retaliated by ultimately terminating Dr. Ross," Diggs noted.
Diggs added that while the lawsuit was successful in proving the role discrimination played in Dr. Ross' termination it is only one case in what continues to be a national epidemic.
"This sort of prejudice should not occur with anyone's employer ever," he noted. "What was important here is that Dr. Ross has been compensated for this injustice, and that a jury of his peers understood that this sort of discrimination and retaliation should not occur as well. That was evident by them awarding $25 million."
Rodney S. Diggs (https://www.imwlaw.com/rodney-diggs)
A partner at the Los Angeles-based law firm of Ivie McNeill Wyatt Purcell and Diggs, Rodney S. Diggs is a practiced litigator with substantial experience trying cases to verdict in federal and state courts.
Dr. Michael Ross, a former teacher in the school district, alleged he was fired in 2019 in retaliation for having previously brought a discrimination suit, and because he'd spoken out about sexual misconduct by a district custodian. Dr. Ross had served for 25 years as the only African American male teacher in the system, which is located in La Puente in Los Angeles County.
Diggs successfully argued in Los Angeles Superior Court that after settling his 2016 discrimination lawsuit, officials at BUSD retaliated by ultimately terminating Dr. Ross less than 40 days later.
More on The Californer
- Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine and Fire Department to Host Water Safety Day
- Terra Divine Skincare Earns Coveted Spot on Organically Becca's Clean Brand Master List
- NBA Champion Lamar Odom Launches Anti-Addiction Meme Coin, Ushering in a Disruptive Innovation in Web3
- Emmetra Partners with Renesas to Advance Agentic AI-Powered Imaging Solutions
- Gravity to Bring 5-Minute EV Charging to 8 Sites Across Greater LA
"The jury awarded our client $25 million, which included back pay and emotional damages," said Diggs, who also represented Ross in the previous lawsuit against the district. "The jury got it right. He was terminated for pretextual reasons."
In 2016, represented by Diggs and Engelman, Dr. Ross settled his lawsuit against BUSD for discriminated and harassed against him solely on the basis of his race. Diggs described a litany of discriminatory acts Ross endured while employed by the district including racial epithets with Ross' name spray painted on the school's campus and anonymous racially charged letters in his mailbox, which were accessible to others in the administration.
Dr. Ross settled that lawsuit while still employed with the district, only to be placed on administrative leave after officials wrongly claimed he had falsified time records during a summer school session. Dr. Ross' leave extended to two years before he was terminated.
More on The Californer
- California: Governor Newsom issues statement on Pope Leo XIV, the first American Pope
- New poll shows high rates of employee burnout amid concerns over politics and personal finances
- Tessellations Appoints Luthern Williams as Head of School
- Aureli Construction Sets the Standard for Seamless Home Additions in Greater Boston
- Psychological Thriller "Killing Off Connor" To Open 34th IFS Film Fest After 12-years In Post
"Filing a discrimination lawsuit six years ago on behalf of Dr. Michael Ross so angered officials at Bassett Unified School District that they retaliated by ultimately terminating Dr. Ross," Diggs noted.
Diggs added that while the lawsuit was successful in proving the role discrimination played in Dr. Ross' termination it is only one case in what continues to be a national epidemic.
"This sort of prejudice should not occur with anyone's employer ever," he noted. "What was important here is that Dr. Ross has been compensated for this injustice, and that a jury of his peers understood that this sort of discrimination and retaliation should not occur as well. That was evident by them awarding $25 million."
Rodney S. Diggs (https://www.imwlaw.com/rodney-diggs)
A partner at the Los Angeles-based law firm of Ivie McNeill Wyatt Purcell and Diggs, Rodney S. Diggs is a practiced litigator with substantial experience trying cases to verdict in federal and state courts.
Source: Charles Communication Group
Filed Under: Legal
0 Comments
Latest on The Californer
- California: Governor Newsom announces judicial appointments 5.7.25
- Long Beach to Commemorate its Naval History with Commemorative Community Event
- Long Beach: City Celebrates Inaugural National Home Improvement Month: Love Where You Live
- California sues Trump administration for illegally withholding billions in bipartisan infrastructure funds: 'Another Trump gift to China'
- Tale of two trains: California high-speed rail leaves Texas in the dust
- California: State invests nearly $33 billion in cap-and-trade dollars to make communities cleaner and healthier
- Where AI Falls Short, Real Connections Rise—Media Outreach with Heart
- Cybersecurity is Protecting Your Personal Information and Your Portfolio
- EY US unveils Puneet Nanda of GuruNanda as an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2025 Award Finalist
- California: Governor Newsom proclaims Children's Mental Health Awareness Week 2025
- VC Mastermind Launches: A Private Global Network and Podcast for Top-Tier Venture Capital Leaders
- L2 Aviation Celebrates Grand Opening of New Facility at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)
- Actor and Writer Ernie Rivera Launches Groundbreaking Indie Superhero Thriller, Citadel Lost, with Full Campaign and Industry Buzz
- Managing Summer Staffing Surges with Confidence: Why Name Badges Are a Must for Seasonal Success
- Visa Named Title Sponsor of Ascending Athletes' Business Owners Summits for NFL Entrepreneurs
- The Paris Court of International Arbitration Elects Dr. John J. Maalouf as its New President
- ViroMissile Unveils IDOV™ Platform: A Potential One-Shot Cure for Cancer
- $56.7 Million Announced in Q1 2025 with Revenue Growth and Progress Toward NASDAQ Uplisting for AI Marketing Company: IQSTEL, Inc. Stock Symbol: IQSTD
- SAVVY MINING raised $500 million and launched BTC.XRP.DOGE cloud mining, increasing investors' returns by 30%
- New National Nonprofit Launches to Capture Firsthand Accounts of Adoption Stories