Judge rules for mechanic in intimidation case

DETROIT (AP) - A judge has ruled in favor of a former suburban Detroit bus system employee of Iraqi descent who said a co-worker made ethnic slurs against him. The Detroit Free Press reports Oakland County Circuit Judge Daniel O'Brien said in a ruling Tuesday that the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation "created a hostile work environment" and "failed to take adequate steps to stop the offensive conduct." Mazyn Barash, who now is 57, left SMART in 2004. He says threats and slurs started after 2001's terrorist attacks and intensified near the start of the Iraq war in 2003. He was awarded more than $300,000 in damages, back wages and attorney fees, but SMART appealed. The bus system's attorneys strongly contested the ex-bus mechanic's complaints. SMART says it's reviewing the ruling. Published: Fri, Jun 13, 2014