NEW ORLEANS – An African-American man alleges he was not compensated for the work he performed.
Kevin Sterling filed a complaint on Jan. 27 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against Sally Jewell, secretary of and the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement citing the Louisiana Employment Discrimination Law and the Civil Rights Act.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that he began employment with the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement in 2008 as an inspector and was promoted to higher inspector classifications. The plaintiff holds Jewell, the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement responsible because the defendants allegedly subjected him to discriminatory terms and conditions of employment by preventing him from receiving earned pay increases and promotion opportunities with the higher classifications. He claims that as a result of defendant's unlawful actions, plaintiff suffered damages, including lost wages and benefits, mental anguish, humiliation and embarrassment, loss of reputation, loss of enjoyment of life and other foreseeable and unforeseeable damages.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks judgment against defendants in an amount reasonable in the premises, plus interest, costs of these proceedings, attorneys’ fees and for all general and equitable relief deemed appropriate by the court. He is represented by G. Karl Bernard of G. Karl Bernard & Associates PC in New Orleans.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana Case number 2:17-cv-00742