A former police officer who says he was fired because he's black is settling his lawsuit against the Sophia Police Department and the department's chief.
BECKLEY, W.Va. -- A former police officer who says he was fired because he's black is settling his lawsuit against the Sophia Police Department and the department's chief.
U.S. District Judge Irene Berger dismissed Damon McDowell's lawsuit this week after a mediator reported he'd negotiated a settlement.
McDowell's attorney, Maria Hughes, said Friday that the terms are confidential.
Sophia Police Chief Tomi Peck said she fired McDowell last year after he left a Beckley restaurant without paying his bill.
McDowell said he's the victim of a conspiracy cooked up to force him to resign. He was fired after just six months on the job.
McDowell contends he was the victim of harassment schemes that included hiding paperwork so he'd miss court appearances, drawing penises on paperwork and telling jokes with a racial epithet in his presence.
BECKLEY, W.Va. -- A former police officer who says he was fired because he's black is settling his lawsuit against the Sophia Police Department and the department's chief.
U.S. District Judge Irene Berger dismissed Damon McDowell's lawsuit this week after a mediator reported he'd negotiated a settlement.
McDowell's attorney, Maria Hughes, said Friday that the terms are confidential.
Sophia Police Chief Tomi Peck said she fired McDowell last year after he left a Beckley restaurant without paying his bill.
McDowell said he's the victim of a conspiracy cooked up to force him to resign. He was fired after just six months on the job.
McDowell contends he was the victim of harassment schemes that included hiding paperwork so he'd miss court appearances, drawing penises on paperwork and telling jokes with a racial epithet in his presence.
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