ALLENTOWN, PA. – The jury has reached a verdict in the trial over a federal discrimination lawsuit filed against the City of Allentown.
Former Allentown human resources employee Karen Ocasio claimed she was fired because she was outspoken on the issue of racial and ethnic discrimination within the city’s workforce.
The jury found the City of Allentown will not be held liable following a federal discrimination lawsuit. They ruled that Ocasio was retaliated against, but the city also had legitimate reason to fire her.
Ocasio’s attorney Marc Weinstein said it took a lot of courage for her to bring this case to trial.
“In fact, she did prove that the Mayor retaliated against her. We know that from the jury verdict; the problem, unfortunately, is that there was a significant mistake made in the jury verdict form because once the jury found that she had been retaliated against, that should have been it,” said Weinstein.
The city’s defense team previously said during closing arguments the Mayor has no animosity and never had an agenda against Ocasio.
The defense cited an independent investigation, which they say said in part that Ocasio was the most complained-about employee.
Ocasio’s lawyer is making the case that Ocasio was promoted and was a good employee, citing testimony from the city’s former HR director Nadeem Shazad on Tuesday.
“So, we need to get these mistakes corrected, and I believe that with this court, which presided over a fair trial, we believe it will get corrected and that this injustice will ultimately be remedied,” said Weinstein.
In a statement, Mayor Tuerk said:
“We remain committed to making sure the City is a welcoming and respectful place to work and where every employee feels respected and supported.”