Columbus Dispatch: Lawsuit alleges firing of black Columbus officer symptomatic of discrimination

The Gittes Law Group and Walton + Brown, LLP. have filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Columbus as reported by Beth Burger of the Columbus Dispatch:

A federal lawsuit filed Thursday accuses the Columbus Division of Police of driving out some minority officers through a “pattern of race discrimination and retaliation.”

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Kevin C. Morgan II, a black former Columbus police officer, seeks more than $25,000 in damages.

Morgan said he was unlawfully terminated by the division in 2015 and treated unfairly compared to fellow white officers facing similar allegations.

“Officer Morgan’s termination is symptomatic of a pattern, practice and policy of discriminatory treatment of minority officers under the administration of Chief (Kim) Jacobs,” according to the nine-page lawsuit filed by attorneys Frederick M. Gittes and Sean L. Walton Jr.

“In recent years, with the knowledge and evident approval of Chief Jacobs, African American officers and officers raising concerns of discrimination and harassment have routinely been disciplined more harshly, investigated without cause, denied protection from discriminatory treatment by supervisors and co-workers, and, in several cases, driven out of CPD by a pattern of race discrimination and retaliation,” according to the lawsuit.

In addition to monetary damages, the lawsuit seeks to reinstate Morgan at the division, as well as repay his court costs and attorney’s fees. The plaintiff also wants the city to admit to the discriminatory practices affecting Morgan and other minority officers.

Read more at the Columbus Dispatch: http://www.dispatch.com/news/20170921/lawsuit-alleges-firing-of-black-columbus-officer-symptomatic-of-discrimination