The Honorable Judge rebuked the defendant attorneys for Health Care Plan for filing a motion for summary judgment in a race discrimination brought by Uche Asonye.

Before defendant filed the motion, Asonye had asked the judge to allow the parties to make submissions to chambers to determine whether a summary judgment motion was appropriate. After reviewing the material, the judge advised defendant against filing the motion, but defendant did so anyway.

The motion was so “ill-considered” and filled with “self-hypnosis” with respect to the evidence, the judge stated, that sanctions against the defendant’s counsel might be warranted-even if the case went to trial and plaintiff lost.

Mr. Asonye’s client, who was subjected to a daily barrage of racial slurs from his boss, said he was ecstatic after securing a $4 million verdict against his employer.

The Plaintiff claims that his boss repeatedly ridiculed him in Spanish by calling him a “f-----g n----r.” The Plaintiff, 45, a dark skinned man from the Dominican Republic, won the judgment when a federal jury found he had endured five years of harassment at GCC Drum, an industrial drum maker in west suburban Franklin Park. After a four-day trial, a federal court jury in Chicago awarded Mr. Asonye’s client $4,000,000, which included $3 million in punitive damages.

The jury, composed of one African American, three Hispanics and two Caucasians, found in favor of Mr. Asonye’s client after deliberating for 3 ½ hours. The verdict included $900,000 for the mental anguish caused by the slurs and $100,000 for lost wages. Mr. Asonye tried this case in federal court with attorney Jack Epstein of Chicago, Illinois. 

Our law firm was referenced in connection with a jury trial and the award to the firm's client in a case of harassment and discrimination based on Title VII. Plaintiff, a native of the Dominican Republic, alleged that his boss badgered him with racial slurs every day. He claimed that his boss used epithets to refer to this dark skin color and heritage three or four times a day and sometimes made them on the public address system. He further claimed that managers took no action and denied him overtime and promotions.

Jury verdict for Plaintiff awarding him $3,000,000 in punitive damages; $450,000 for emotional pain, $450,000 for loss of enjoyment of life, $100,000 for pay differential or loss of pay raises. Mr. Asonye tried this case in federal court with attorney Jack Epstein of Chicago, Illinois.  

Our law firm represented the Plaintiffs in a sexual harassment case where we requested class action status. The case ultimately settled as a class action on behalf of all current and former female employees who worked at the manufacturing facility between January 1, 1995 and December 31, 2001. The settlement also included all female workers sent by temporary agencies that worked there for any 20 consecutive workdays between January 1, 1998 and December 31, 2001.

Our firm represented four women in a federal suit of sexual harassment against the Chicago Park District.  The case settled with The Chicago Park District paying the four plaintiffs $240,000.  The four alleged that their supervisor repeatedly touched them inappropriately and talked to them in a sexual way.  The supervisor no longer works for the Chicago Park District.