After deliberating for more than a day, an eight-person federal jury found the city of Fresno guilty of racial discrimination, awarding lead plaintiff La-Kebbia “Kiki” Wilson, who is Black, $15 million in damages on Wednesday afternoon.

The jury awarded the second plaintiff, Charles Smith, who is white, $400,000.

Both formerly worked in the city’s code enforcement division.

“They’re exposed. They made me seem like I was an angry black woman stereotype,” Wilson said after the verdict for the 10-day trial. “I’m so glad that the jury saw past that.”

As for Smith, he talked about “starting a rock ‘n’ roll band” with his award.

Jury members declined to comment to GV Wire.

City Hall Reaction

The verdict, which was read to the court at about 4:30 p.m., triggered immediate reactions from City Hall.

“I would like to thank the jurors for their time and service,” Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said in a statement. “Although these allegations preceded my administration, there is no question this verdict will have a significant financial impact on the city of Fresno.”

Said Fresno City Council President Mike Karbassi:

“I want to be very clear that this all happened under a different Administration, when Code Enforcement was not under the direction of the City Attorney and City Council. If this judgement is upheld, there will be tough decisions ahead if we’re going to balance our budget.

“While I am very sensitive to the allegations, I also have a responsibility to protect the financial well-being of our current public employees who provide vital services to the public.”

Though he didn’t defend the city in court, City of Fresno Attorney Andrew Janz told GV Wire: “I’d like to thank Judge (Kirk E.) Sherriff for hearing the matter and the jury for their service. I will not provide further comment as litigation may be ongoing.”

Court Testimony: Supervisor Used the ‘N-Word’ to Describe Wilson

During the trial, Wilson said she was treated differently and suspected it was because of her race. Smith testified that a supervisor, Howard Lacy, used the “N-word” to describe Wilson in private conversation.

In testimony, Wilson and Smith said they were harassed and retaliated against for complaining about the slur and other grievances.

Attorney Fees

Plaintiffs lawyers Kevin Schwin and Gary Goyette will file a separate motion for attorney fees. Those fees would include recovery for the Fresno City Employees Union, which funded the lawsuit.

Mandy Jeffcoach was the lead attorney for the city’s defense team.

Previous GV Wire coverage of the case is at this link and this link.