LAS VEGAS -- A federal jury ruled in favor of a former Las Vegas deputy fire chief Friday in his racial discrimination lawsuit against the city and his former supervisor.
According to the amended complaint filed in U.S. District Court, former fire deputy chief Ken Riddle had worked for the city of Las Vegas since 1978 and was fired in August 2006. His race was a "determinative factor" in his termination, according to the complaint.
Riddle is a white man. He sued for damages, including lost income, employee benefits, emotional distress and mental anguish.
David Washington, a black man, was fire chief and Riddle's supervisor. The response filed by Washington and the city denied the charges.
Riddle's attorney Mary Chapman said the jury ruled in favor of Riddle and awarded him $365,000 in compensatory damages.
The jury also charged $25,000 in punitive damages against Washington. According to Chapman, federal law only allows punitive damages to be awarded if malice is shown.
Washington retired in 2007, but before his retirement, the city conducted a survey that revealed some employees believed race and gender bias ran rampant in the fire department.
Ken Riddle
