A federal judge last week dismissed a discrimination lawsuit filed by a former employee of the security contractor at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina, ruling there was no proof race played a role in the worker’s termination.
In the March 6 order, U.S. District Judge Terry Wooten ruled in favor of Centerra’s request for summary judgment and immediate termination of the lawsuit. She wrote that Melvin Lambert, who is African-American, had no legal basis to continue his February 2018 lawsuit.
Wooten concurred with the report and recommendation filed last August by U.S. Magistrate Judge Paige Gossett, which also stated Lambert failed to prove his termination was race-related. “The facts do not show an unlawful motive was the basis for termination,” Wooten wrote.
Lambert worked for Centerra for 30 years as a security inspector at Centerra-SRS. He was fired on Feb. 13, 2017, after one of his superiors allegedly found him sleeping at his desk. Lambert contended he wasn’t sleeping, but in later testimony at an arbitration hearing admitted he was inattentive. In any case, the lawsuit said Centerra did not follow the proper protocols before firing him, though the complaint did not state which steps were not followed.
Furthermore, Lambert’s attorney wrote that several Caucasian employees, before and after his client’s termination, kept their jobs despite more severe infractions, including allegations of racist remarks and sexual harassment, and falsifying documentation.
In the complaint, Lambert was seeking actual, consequential, compensatory and punitive damages, as well as payment of attorney fees. The lawsuit did not cite a specific amount.
In the summary judgement, Wooten wrote Lambert will take nothing from Centerra, and that the case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning Lambert can file the case again in the same court.
