Former Lansing, MI, firefighter Michael Lynn, Jr. was awarded $1 million by a jury following a five-day trial in the U.S. District Court in Kalamazoo.
Lynn had filed a lawsuit claiming he faced discrimination and harassment on the job for years because of his race.
Attorney Scott Batey says shortly after Lynn started with the department, he was harassed because he’s black.
Shortly after joining the force, Lynn claims someone stuck a banana peel between the windshield wiper and front glass of the vehicle he was about to drive.
“It continued, he complained to numerous supervisors, nothing was done,” Batey said.
Lynn was fired from the Lansing Fire Department in 2021 for violating policies.
The two say the verdict is separate from a wrongful termination claim, which is currently in a grievance hearing process.
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