A 66-year-old African American man is suing his former employer for alleged racial discrimination and retaliation. AC Haynes filed a complaint on June 19, 2024, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against Renovation Pro’s, LLC (formerly Mills Lake Construction, LLC), its owner Jordan Hollier, and supervisor Jeremy Seaux.
According to the complaint, Haynes was employed as a carpenter by Renovation Pro’s from November 2022 until January 2023. During his brief tenure, he alleges that he was subjected to racial slurs and discriminatory treatment due to his race and age. Specifically, Haynes recounts two incidents where Seaux used racial slurs in his presence. The first incident occurred in January 2023 when Seaux allegedly used the "n-word" while speaking to Haynes and another co-worker. Although Haynes initially did not confront Seaux about it, a subsequent incident prompted both him and his colleague to express their disapproval of such language.
Following this confrontation, Haynes claims he received a call from Hollier later that evening informing him of his termination. When questioned about the reason for his dismissal, Hollier cited tardiness and incomplete assignments—issues that Haynes denies were ever discussed with him prior to his firing. Furthermore, Haynes alleges that Hollier has withheld wages owed to him since his termination.
Haynes contends that his termination was an act of retaliation following his complaints about the racially discriminatory remarks made by Seaux. He argues that these actions violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended by the Civil Rights Act of 1991, Louisiana's anti-discrimination laws (LA R.S. 23:301 et seq.), Retaliation under 42 U.S.C. §1983, and other related statutes.
In addition to seeking declaratory judgment acknowledging the unlawful practices he faced, Haynes is requesting compensatory damages for lost wages and benefits, emotional distress, punitive damages under federal law (42 U.S.C. §1981(a)), attorney’s fees, costs associated with the lawsuit including expert witness fees, pre-judgment interest on all monetary reliefs sought, and any other relief deemed just by the court.
The case is being handled by Ann Johnson-Griffin of Ann Johnson-Griffin Attorney at Law LLC representing AC Haynes. The presiding judge is yet to be determined but will be from the Eastern District of Louisiana under Case ID: 2:24-cv-01584-BSL-KWR.