The place State Farm Sees ‘a Lot of Fraud,’ Black Prospects See Discrimination

She and practically a dozen different Black and Muslim staff working close by additionally obtained copies of an nameless letter despatched by way of the U.S. Postal Service, calling African American individuals “uneducated” and referring to Muslim individuals as “backside of the barrel.” When Ms. Campbell-Jackson and the opposite staff reported their suspicions that the letters had come from inside State Farm, managers dismissed their issues, in keeping with her lawsuit.

In Might 2016, State Farm fired Ms. Campbell-Jackson, saying she had shared delicate data exterior the group. Ms. Campbell-Jackson mentioned she had merely despatched an electronic mail containing buyer claims data to State Farm executives at their request. She was provided $175,000 in severance cash on the situation that she agree by no means to talk about her experiences at State Farm, courtroom filings present.

Ms. Campbell-Jackson didn’t take the supply. Later that month, she filed a criticism with the E.E.O.C., saying State Farm was violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by discriminating in opposition to her based mostly on her race.

Normally the place an worker experiences racial discrimination, the E.E.O.C. offers that individual a “proper to sue” letter, primarily saying it might be cheap for the worker to pursue a declare in courtroom. However final 12 months, the E.E.O.C. sided with Ms. Campbell-Jackson, saying that State Farm had discriminated in opposition to her and 10 of her co-workers, and really helpful that the insurer pay her round $500,000 in damages and again pay. The 2 sides haven’t come to an settlement.

In a letter to State Farm, an E.E.O.C. official wrote that it appeared that Ms. Campbell-Jackson “was harassed as a result of her race and discharged in retaliation for complaining about harassment.”

In December, she sued State Farm in federal courtroom in Michigan, claiming that she had been subjected to discrimination, a hostile work setting and retaliation. Benjamin Crump, a civil rights lawyer who has represented the households of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, two Black People killed by police, is a part of her authorized staff.

The identical week that Ms. Campbell-Jackson introduced her lawsuit, two State Farm executives mentioned her case in a video the corporate despatched to staff.