Black Genentech worker in Vacaville, accused of stealing half a sandwich, gets $233,126 in discrimination lawsuit
The Genentech shuttle makes its stop at the BART-Caltrain station in Millbrae, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2009. One of the things that can help solve the current transportation crisis is to have companies help connect their workers to transit centers and to their workplace. (Dan Honda/Staff)
A black IT worker at Genentech was awarded nearly $250,000 last week after a jury agreed that his race-discrimination complaint was a factor in his firing.
Timothy Pruitt, 56, had worked at Genentech’s Vacaville office for 21 years, including three years as a contractor, before he was fired in 2017 by a manager who accused him of stealing half a sandwich and of falsifying his timecards.
Pruitt sued the South San Francisco-based biotech company, alleging he was fired as retaliation for submitting a discrimination complaint against his manager, Steve Graeff. Pruitt said in his lawsuit that Graeff treated him differently from his other colleagues, including following him around the office and getting on his case about tardiness while a white co-worker was allowed to be late without consequences. The lawsuit further alleged that Pruitt was fired “not even three months after he returned from (Family Medical Leave Act).”
Pruitt said in his lawsuit that a co-worker had bought the sandwich for him, and that the accusation of falsifying his timecards was a misunderstanding partly due to a technical issue. He had earned positive performance evaluations for 15 years after he was hired as full-time employee in 1998, according to the lawsuit. Then, a former supervisor gave him a negative review, leading to his first complaint of discrimination and causing him to seek mental-health treatment. A doctor advised Pruitt to take medical leaves in 2013 and 2016. After Graeff became his supervisor, Pruitt submitted another discrimination complaint in 2016.
The jury awarded Pruitt nearly $175,000 plus interest in damages from lost wages — based on 1.9 times his annual pay of about $90,000, according to his attorney — plus $59,000 for emotional distress. Including 7% interest for the lost wages, the award totals nearly $250,000.
The verdict was “important vindication for our client, who was walked off the premises after working there for (21) years,” said Jean Hyams, one of Pruitt’s lawyers. “He was banned from returning to the campus. This was a community he had built his life and work around.”
In a statement Monday, Genentech spokeswoman Nadine Pinell said, “While we disagree with the jury’s conclusion, we respect the process and appreciate the thoughtful deliberations.” She noted that Pruitt’s claim of race discrimination and other charges were “dismissed as unfounded” before the trial in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California in Sacramento.
But Hyams said “Genentech conceded at trial that Mr. Pruitt made a good faith, reasonable complaint that his manager was subjecting him to race discrimination… Genentech may talk the talk of diversity and inclusion, but its action in this case sends the message that employees have every reason to fear retaliation if they speak up.”
Like other tech companies, Genentech’s website touts its commitment to diversity in its workforce. “People of color” make up 49% of the company’s employees, and 53% are women, Pinell said.
- Levi Sumagaysay
- PUBLISHED: April 17, 2019 at 3:01 pm | UPDATED: April 17, 2019 at 3:02 pm
- Business, Local News, News, Technology, Top Headlines
The Genentech shuttle makes its stop at the BART-Caltrain station in Millbrae, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2009. One of the things that can help solve the current transportation crisis is to have companies help connect their workers to transit centers and to their workplace. (Dan Honda/Staff)
A black IT worker at Genentech was awarded nearly $250,000 last week after a jury agreed that his race-discrimination complaint was a factor in his firing.
Timothy Pruitt, 56, had worked at Genentech’s Vacaville office for 21 years, including three years as a contractor, before he was fired in 2017 by a manager who accused him of stealing half a sandwich and of falsifying his timecards.
Pruitt sued the South San Francisco-based biotech company, alleging he was fired as retaliation for submitting a discrimination complaint against his manager, Steve Graeff. Pruitt said in his lawsuit that Graeff treated him differently from his other colleagues, including following him around the office and getting on his case about tardiness while a white co-worker was allowed to be late without consequences. The lawsuit further alleged that Pruitt was fired “not even three months after he returned from (Family Medical Leave Act).”
Pruitt said in his lawsuit that a co-worker had bought the sandwich for him, and that the accusation of falsifying his timecards was a misunderstanding partly due to a technical issue. He had earned positive performance evaluations for 15 years after he was hired as full-time employee in 1998, according to the lawsuit. Then, a former supervisor gave him a negative review, leading to his first complaint of discrimination and causing him to seek mental-health treatment. A doctor advised Pruitt to take medical leaves in 2013 and 2016. After Graeff became his supervisor, Pruitt submitted another discrimination complaint in 2016.
The jury awarded Pruitt nearly $175,000 plus interest in damages from lost wages — based on 1.9 times his annual pay of about $90,000, according to his attorney — plus $59,000 for emotional distress. Including 7% interest for the lost wages, the award totals nearly $250,000.
The verdict was “important vindication for our client, who was walked off the premises after working there for (21) years,” said Jean Hyams, one of Pruitt’s lawyers. “He was banned from returning to the campus. This was a community he had built his life and work around.”
In a statement Monday, Genentech spokeswoman Nadine Pinell said, “While we disagree with the jury’s conclusion, we respect the process and appreciate the thoughtful deliberations.” She noted that Pruitt’s claim of race discrimination and other charges were “dismissed as unfounded” before the trial in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California in Sacramento.
But Hyams said “Genentech conceded at trial that Mr. Pruitt made a good faith, reasonable complaint that his manager was subjecting him to race discrimination… Genentech may talk the talk of diversity and inclusion, but its action in this case sends the message that employees have every reason to fear retaliation if they speak up.”
Like other tech companies, Genentech’s website touts its commitment to diversity in its workforce. “People of color” make up 49% of the company’s employees, and 53% are women, Pinell said.