So today the Nascar organization was served with a lawsuit for $250 million for racial, religious, sexual, etc discrimination as well as sexual harassment.
http://www.wbir.com/sports/story.asp...=59238&catid=5
From above link.
Mauricia Grant, a former official of
NASCAR who traveled to races as a "technical inspector," filed a $250 million lawsuit against the circuit Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York alleging racial and sexual harassment.
In a 40-page filing, Grant, 32, alleges she was terminated in November for complaining about her treatment, which included, she says, NASCAR officials referring to her as "nappy headed Mo," "Mohammed" and "Al Qaeda" and some exposing their penises in her presence. She cites specific dates and locations for the harassment on the job, which, the suit stated, paid her $30,000 a year.
DOCUMENT: View complaint against NASCAR (.pdf)
The lawsuit states Grant was subjected to "virulently racist harassment, a racially hostile work environment and insidious and pervasive race discrimination reflective of a former, uglier era in our nation's history."
The lawsuit also states Grant was subjected to "lewd and obscene sexual harassment, a sexually hostile work environment and rampant gender discrimination." It goes on to state that all manner of NASCAR officials, including supervisors, "perpetuated, condoned and actively participated in perverted and disgusting sexual conduct designed to demean and diminish (Grant) and the handful of other women employed by NASCAR as officials."
Grant, who was the only black female official and began with NASCAR in January 2005, said in the suit she was fired for her "poor work performance" but said she had received positive performance evaluations and had received no warnings aside from one about her use of "street" language.
Yet, she contends in the suit that NASCAR officials would send her obscene e-mails or text messages, such as this from official David Duke last November: "I love all Yall mofos, i am that nigga, HAHAHA, Holla, PIMPALICIOUS." Or, she contends, Duke would say in her presence, "What up, my nigga?"
When she complained to NASCAR officials, Grant told USA TODAY on Tuesday, "I was basically told to deal with it because the men that I was working with, a lot of them were military men and I needed to learn how to act like they act if I wanted to be successful.
"I felt like I was in it by myself and that I had to make an attitude adjustment. It hurt because I basically just tried to do my job and tried to avoid co-workers. I was hurt and disgusted by the whole thing."
Grant told USA TODAY she and another female co-worker drafted an anonymous letter in 2006 to NASCAR's Human Resources department, detailing some complaints. She said the letter was discussed by colleagues and it was thought to come from somewhere else, but that another female official was eventually fired.
"I don't want this (lawsuit) to be my legacy as the first African-American female to do this job," Grant told USA TODAY. "I did (the job) in a way that I can hold my head up high with pride. That doesn't mean I have to put up with race discrimination or sexism or retaliation."
NASCAR spokesman Randy Poston says: "We have not yet had a chance to review the suit. But as an equal opportunity employer, NASCAR is fully committed to the spirit and letter of affirmative action law. NASCAR provides equal opportunity employment to job candidates and employees without regard to race, religion, creed, age, gender, or any other characteristic protected by law. Personnel decisions are made based on factors such as performance and adherence to corporate policy."With regard to the specific case, NASCAR has a zero tolerance policy for harassment. We won't get into specifics through the media but we will address all claims fully and in detail in our response to the courts."
Lou D'Ermilio, spokesman for Fox Sports, which carried the first half of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule this season, and Andy Hall, spokesman for
ESPN, which picks up the schedule next month, had "no comment."
The suit said Grant, a native of the Bronx, N.Y., now living in Atlanta, graduated with honors at the top of her class from Los Angeles' Urban League Automotive Training Center in the summer of 2004. She obtained a certification in brakes and suspension service and was one of only two women in her class. During her studies she interned as a technical inspector at Irwindale Speedway outside of Los Angeles.
In September 2004, Grant was recruited to NASCAR by John Muzzarelli, director of training and recruiting. At the time, Hall of Fame basketball player
Magic Johnson was working with NASCAR on its Drive for Diversity program. The aim was to increase minority involvement by placing black, female and Latino drivers in stock cars at short tracks on the sport's grassroots levels. NASCAR also has a diversity internship program that places college-age minorities in business-oriented jobs with NASCAR, its tracks, sponsors and licensees.
Grant described in the suit instances in which Joe Balash, NASCAR's director of the Nationwide Series, and others would make comments about her arriving late to work as being on "Colored People Time."
Co-workers, the suit stated, would make "ignorant racist comments." The suit said official Jonathon Dickerson frequently made references to the Ku Klux Klan, such as saying last August that the Klan was similar to the NAACP. But the NAACP is a "black organization," so the government does not attack it. The suit said last October, Dickerson shared his opinion with Grant that "white trailer parks seem like they're filled with dirtier people because blacks put so much effort into flashing materials things. But the truth is that black people have dirtier homes."
When Grant complained about these examples of racial harassment, the suit stated, "she was subjected to heightened scrutiny, unwarranted disciplinary action, degrading treatment and continued harassment culminating in her unlawful termination, in direct retaliation for her complaints."
Sexual harassment was outlined specifically, as well.
In October 2006, the suit states, Grant and some co-workers were in the lounge of the hotel they stayed at while working at Memphis Motor Speedway when official Bud Moore came out of his room wearing only a towel and calling out, "Mo, do you want to see my dick?" The suit goes on to state Moore then opened his towel and ducked behind a trash can, while other male officials laughed.
In March 2007, the suit states, while Grant was working at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Mike Dolan, assistant director of what then was called the Busch Series but is now the Nationwide Series, repeatedly made jokes of this variety: "Mo, if any of these guys try getting in your pants, you let them know you already have one a??? in there, that's enough for today." The next month, while working at Texas Motor Speedway, the suit stated, Dolan approached Grant while he was eating an ice cream sandwich. He began licking it in a lewd manner, the suit stated, "insinuating that the chocolate cake was a vagina and he was performing oral sex."
The suit concludes, Grant "has suffered and continues to suffer severe emotional distress, including depression, anxiety, nightmares, sleep disturbance, crying jags and physical injury, including headaches and gastrointestinal distress."
*Shocking!*/sarcasm Nascar getting sued for racial discrimination among other things
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