Longtime MDOC worker prevails on discrimination claim.

Byline: Michigan Lawyers Weekly Staff

Romeo Juco is a maintenance worker at the Michigan Department of Corrections where he has worked as a public servant since 1988. Trouble began for Juco when he gave sworn testimony under oath in another racial discrimination case against the MDOC, Michael Hester v. Michigan Department of Corrections. The same plaintiff's counsel tried that case to a jury and obtained a large verdict.

When Juco's racist supervisor found out that Juco had testified in a deposition, the racist supervisor threatened Juco for giving testimony, according to plaintiff's counsel. Juco described the environment as "toxic" and things got so bad under the racist supervisor at his facility that Juco requested a transfer to a different prison, farther from his home.

A new supervisor was a known racist who had referred to minorities by racial terms, according to plaintiff's counsel. He continued a campaign of discrimination and racism toward the minority employees including Juco. He did not allow the minority employees to work together on maintenance teams, even though Juco constantly stated he needed help. He continued harassing and treating the minorities different than the white workers.

Juco was transferred to Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility ("WHV") in Ypsilanti. At WHV, the discrimination continued, plaintiff's counsel stated.

Juco testified how he would constantly be screamed at while at WHV and have work piled on him. The white workers would never undergo this type of harassment.

After Juco testified in the Hester case, he applied at least three times for the position of equipment technician, which was a step up from his current position. He was denied the promotion every time. Plaintiff's counsel stated he was able to obtain admissions from high-level management that Juco had already been doing the job responsibilities of the job he was applying for, equipment technician, for over 10 years he just wasn't getting paid for it. These managers agreed that Juco should have been given the position. However, the MDOC claimed it was powerless to give him the position because it was the Civil Service Commission who made the final decision, according...