Mediaboss Marketing

Published: Wed, September 4, 2013 @ 12:00 a.m.

Associated Press

NEW YORK

In a case that gave a legal airing to the debate over use of the N-word among blacks, a federal jury has rejected a black managers argument that it was a term of love and endearment when he aimed it at a black employee.

Jurors awarded $30,000 in punitive damages Tuesday after finding last week that the managers four-minute rant was hostile and discriminatory, and awarding $250,000 in compensatory damages.

The case against Rob Carmona and the employment agency he founded, STRIVE East Harlem, hinged on what some see as a complex double standard surrounding the word: Its a degrading slur when uttered by whites but can be used at times with impunity among blacks.

But 38-year-old Brandi Johnson told jurors that being black didnt make it any less hurtful when Carmona repeatedly targeted her with the slur during a March 2012 tirade about inappropriate workplace attire and unprofessional behavior.

Johnson, who taped the remarks after her complaints about his verbal abuse were disregarded, said she fled to the restroom and cried for 45 minutes.

I was offended. I was hurt. I felt degraded. I felt disrespected. I was embarrassed, Johnson testified.

The jury ordered Carmona to pay $25,000 in punitive damages and STRIVE to pay $5,000.

Excerpt from:
Case puts N-word use among blacks on trial