Bob Benson, the 65-year-old former director of internal audit for Chicago, is suing the city for age and race discrimination, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Bob Benson, who is white, said former Office of Compliance Chief Anthony Boswell (who is black) replaced him with a less-qualified African-American woman.
He claims that hiring decisions were based solely on race and that these decisions often were made at the expense of bringing in qualified talent:
"I saw a pattern going on where a lot of Caucasians were being terminated and none were being hired. That told me that Boswell was discriminating."
Jennifer Hoyle, spokeswoman for Chicago's law department, said she couldn't comment on the lawsuit because they hadn't yet seen it. Bob Benson's Chicago employment lawyer was not quoted or cited by reporters.
He also claims that Anthony Boswell was perhaps a little too sensitive about hiring minority firms in city contracts, claiming they already were well above the required ratio. But while he allegedly asked Bob Benson to bring in more minority firms, "some of these firms were not qualified to do some of the work."
Bob Benson claims he was fired without cause or even a warning. He also said he was handed his personnel file but that there was not a single negative review.
Anthony Boswell resigned in March and couldn't be reached by reporters for comment.
The civil lawsuit was cleared for trial in Cook County Circuit Court, but the Illinois Dept. of Human Rights dismissed his discrimination complaint in June "for lack of substantial evidence." Also, an independent investigation completed last week cleared Anthony Boswell of allegations he quashed a sexual harassment claim against since-resigned former Fire Commissioner John Brooks.
Terminating an employee's job because of age, race or other protected forms of status is illegal. If you believe you've been discriminated against for any of those reasons, you might want to contact an Illinois employment lawyer.
Related Resources:
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Wrongful Termination Claims (FindLaw)
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Search Illinois Employment Lawyers (FindLaw)
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Equal Pay Elusive, Workplace Discrimination Claims on the Rise: How Civil Rights Laws Aren't the Only Option (FindLaw's Law & Daily Life Blog)
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