Former FedEx worker Jennifer Harris was awarded a $365 million judgment by a jury on Oct. 25 in Fort Value, Texas. Harris filed a civil lawsuit in opposition to FedEx in 2021 for racial discrimination.
Harris labored for FedEx for practically 13 years earlier than she was terminated after she advised human assets that she was being discriminated in opposition to due to race.
Harris started working at FedEx in company gross sales after becoming a member of the administration program in 2007. She received quite a few efficiency awards as she rose the company ladder. Harris was ranked within the high six % of salespeople at FedEx one yr and reached the distinguished President’s Membership title along with her group in 2010.
Regardless of her efficiency, she advised ActionNews5 she was focused at work due to her race. As an alternative of outward assaults equivalent to being known as racial slurs, she stated she was sabotaged within the office. In 2019, she was requested to take a demotion.
“Folks don’t make racial slurs anymore, they don’t immediately name you issues that may elevate your eyebrow. With racism, discrimination, and retaliation, it’s their actions that exhibit that,” stated Harris. “Unfair therapy to my peer group… guidelines that didn’t standardly apply… there have been loopholes made to sabotage me, to make it falsely seem that I wasn’t performing.”
Harris continued to say that after she notified human assets of the difficulty, the corporate left her in a hostile work atmosphere. She stated after she was retaliated in opposition to, she was finally terminated by FedEx.
“They proceeded to do a sham investigation and nonetheless left me in that hostile work atmosphere, and nothing was performed about it.”
Harris filed a lawsuit in Might of 2021. The jury sided with Harris and awarded her the biggest quantity ever awarded in a discrimination swimsuit in opposition to FedEx. Based on Harris’ Legal professional Brian Sanford, the jury needed to ship a message.
“The jury clearly needed to ship a message to FedEx: change your methods,” stated Sanford.
FedEx is outwardly not pleased with the decision. The communications director for FedEx Providers, Shannon Davis, launched a press release asserting plans to enchantment the choice and doubled down on being in the fitting by firing Harris.
“We strongly disagree with the decision and can enchantment. FedEx doesn’t interact in or tolerate retaliation. We adopted our protocols for efficiency administration with Ms. Harris and are assured that we acted correctly relating to her termination.”