A 53-year-old African-American firefighter was awarded more than $1 million in court Monday in a racial discrimination lawsuit filed against the city of Los Angeles.
Jabari Jumaane, who has been with the Los Angeles Fire Department for nearly 27 years, filed a racial discrimination, harassment, and retaliation lawsuit claiming a captain falsified performance evaluations under the direction of his then-battalion chief.
The evaluations led to serious discipline, including excessive and unreasonable reprimands and two suspensions, Jumaane claimed.
A jury deliberated for 16 days before awarding Jumaane $1.1 million.
"I am grateful that the jury was willing to look at the evidence presented during this case and render the only reasonable verdict," Jumaane said in a statement. "This verdict will allow us to further address institutional racism within the Los Angeles City Fire Department."
Jumaane unsuccessfully ran for the Los Angeles City Council in 2011, coming in third to Councilman Bernard Parks in the Eighth District.
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