The shipbuilding company Austal is denying claims of discrimination against State Rep. Napoleon Bracy (D-Prichard).
Bracy filed a federal lawsuit against his former employer, Austal, in December for alleged racial discrimination. Bracy worked for Austal from May 2013 until March 2024, when he was allegedly terminated for violating timekeeping policy.
According to his complaint, Bracy was instructed to enter time away from Austal for his legislative duties as “Jury Duty Leave”. According to the lawsuit, Bracy was terminated on March 22 for violating the timekeeping policy on March 12, 13, and 14, dates which he had entered as “jury duty leave” while meeting with residents of his House district during a scheduled constituent work week.
Bracy has been a member of the Alabama House since 2010. He announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the Second Congressional District in November 2023. On March 5, he finished third out of ten candidates with 15.7% of the vote in the Democratic primary for the congressional seat.
According to the lawsuit, Bracy believes he was fired in part because he had advocated for the hiring of a qualified black male for the position of VP of Human Resources over the eventual hiring of a white female.
bracy1 by Caleb Taylor on Scribd
Kathryn Willis, an attorney representing Austal, said in a filing on Thursday, “(Bracy) was not subjected to any form of actionable discrimination.”
“Defendant is not liable for the activities alleged because Defendant had in place appropriate policies against harassment and discrimination and adequate procedures to receive and remedy complaints, and Plaintiff unreasonably failed to take advantage of these policies. Plaintiff cannot establish a prima facie case of discrimination. Defendant denies that Plaintiff has suffered any damages as a result of any alleged acts and/or omissions of Defendant,” Willis said.
Bracy by Caleb Taylor on Scribd
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