Jury awards $11.4M in couple's racial bias case against Michigan

FLINT (AP) — A jury has awarded $11.4 million to a black couple who filed a discrimination lawsuit against the Michigan Department of Corrections.

Attorney Jon Marko says Lisa Griffey was a probation officer who was racially harassed by white co-workers. She says they called her “mammy” and the “black one.”

Marko says her husband, Cedric Griffey, who was a deputy prison warden, was retaliated against because of his wife’s legal challenge. A Genesee County jury found Lisa Griffey was subjected to a hostile work environment and suffered an adverse employment action because of her race.

The jury on Monday said Cedric Griffey also suffered. The trial lasted six weeks.

The attorney general’s office, which defended the Corrections Department at trial, says an appeal is likely.