Former official sues NASCAR for $225M
06/12/08 You can read the full lawsuit here (PDF file). If her allegations are true NASCAR is going to have to negotiate a hefty settlement because there is no way they will want this case to go to trial. Non-bubba fans, sponsors and manufacturers do not want to have their name associated with an organization that tolerates racism and sex discrimination.
06/11/08 NASCAR chairman Brian France denied Wednesday that a former official complained to her supervisors about racial and sexual discrimination, claims she alleged led to her eventual firing.
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| Mauricia Grant's exposing of NASCAR for what it is might be the beginning of the end for American monopoly |
Mauricia Grant filed a $225 million suit against NASCAR on Tuesday, alleging racial discrimination, sexual harassment and retaliatory termination. Grant, who is black, worked as a technical inspector for NASCAR's second-tier Nationwide Series.
France said Wednesday the detailed filing was the first NASCAR learned of her claims.
"The disappointing thing is she makes a lot of claims, none of them reported," said France. "The fact that it went on as she stated, for many months, but never bothered to tell anyone at management what was going on – which is what our policy says – is very disappointing.
"We would have liked, if those type things were in fact going on, we would have loved to have done an investigation and a review of such an allegation."
France said NASCAR will review Grant's claims, which included 23 specific incidents of alleged sexual harassment and 34 specific incidents of alleged racial and gender discrimination she says began when she was hired in January 2005 through her October 2007 firing.
NASCAR will not disclose why Grant was fired late in the 2007 season.
In her suit, she claims she was referred to as "Nappy Headed Mo" and "Queen Sheba," by co-workers, was often told she worked on "colored people time," and was frightened by one official who routinely made references to the Ku Klux Klan.
In addition, Grant said she was subjected to sexual advances from male co-workers, two of whom allegedly exposed themselves to her, and graphic and lewd jokes.
She denied France's claim that she never complained about her treatment, saying she followed the chain of command but stopped short of taking it to human resources when series director Joe Balash failed to address her concerns.
Grant claims two weeks after she complained to Balash, she received a call from the human resources director reprimanding her for her behavior.
"I expected Joe Balash to address and solve these problems. I never expected I would have to take it higher than that," she said. "In my three seasons there, that was the first time I complained, and then two weeks later – the shock of getting a call from HR – it was so obvious retaliation.
"Was I supposed to call HR back to talk about the stuff I had to talk about?"
NASCAR's investigation is expected to include Grant's human resources file and interviews with everyone identified in the lawsuit. More at AOL Sports
06/10/08 A former racing official is suing NASCAR, alleging racial and sexual discrimination, sexual harassment and wrongful termination. Mauricia Grant worked as a technical inspector responsible for certifying cars in NASCAR’s second-tier Nationwide Series from January 2005 until she was fired last October.
Grant, who is black, alleges she was referred to as “Nappy Headed Mo" and “Queen Sheba," by white co-workers. She also claims she often was told she worked on “colored people time," and was frightened by one official who routinely made references to the Ku Klux Klan.
The lawsuit, which seeks $250 million, was filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. (Related article which really makes NASCAR look bad – a white KKK attitude)