“The lawsuit was only about the need to run such programs lawfully,” he said. “We believe the punitive damages award was a strong message that an employer cannot just fire employees based on their race or gender to create opportunities to achieve diversity targets. That is plainly unlawful and very harmful, and that is what the jury denounced here.”
Novant Health said that it disagreed with the verdict.
“We are extremely disappointed with the verdict, as we believe it is not supported by the evidence presented at trial, which includes our reason for Mr. Duvall’s termination,” Novant Health said in a statement. “We will pursue all legal options, including appeal, over the next several weeks and months.”
Novant Health, a nonprofit organization with more than 35,000 employees, said the verdict would have no effect on its efforts to diversify its work force.
“Novant Health is one of thousands of organizations to put in place robust diversity and inclusion programs, which we believe can coexist alongside strong nondiscriminatory policies that extend to all races and genders, including white men,” the organization said. “It’s important for all current and future team members to know that this verdict will not change Novant Health’s steadfast commitment to diversity, inclusion and equity for all.”
In his lawsuit, Mr. Duvall said that he had a successful career in marketing and public relations when Novant Health hired him as a senior vice president of marketing and communications on Aug. 5, 2013.
On July 30, 2018, Novant Health fired him without warning and ordered him off the premises immediately, the lawsuit states.
Mr. Duvall said that his superior had told him that his termination had “nothing to do” with his work performance and that he had “done everything asked of him and more,” according to the lawsuit. Mr. Duvall’s job performance “had been very highly rated, both internally and externally,” the lawsuit states.

Source: New York Times

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