Ex-Leavenworth County employee sues, alleging supervisors ignored racist jokes, slurs

Maia Bond
·2 min read

A former Leavenworth County employee is suing the public works department after he says he faced racial discrimination and retaliation.

Rodney Marshall, who is Black, began working for the public works department in February 2020 as an equipment operator.

The 27-page complaint alleges that the first racist remark made towards Marshall came as he was learning to use a front loader and a coworker told him to get out because he was moving too slow.

The lawsuit alleges the coworker said, “I don’t even know why they hire you type of people.”

Marshall reported this to his supervisors and they told him not to worry about it, the lawsuit said.

Leavenworth County declined to comment.

In the lawsuit, Marshall alleges another coworker was complaining about other employees and used the N-word.

Marshall reported it to his supervisor, who told him the coworker was a good guy and it “probably wasn’t meant like that,” the lawsuit said.

Other coworkers used racist slurs and made racist jokes, which Marshall reported to supervisors as being intimidating and upsetting, but nothing happened.

In another incident, court documents allege Marshall found out that coworkers took pictures of him and applied a filter with sunglasses, a joint and the words “Thug Life” on him. They told him he looked like the rapper Snoop Dogg.

The lawsuit also said that Marshall’s coworkers and supervisor referenced racist stereotypes like Black people liking watermelon and fried chicken to him, despite him telling them they are not true.

He was also given the worst assignments like manual digging positions rather than equipment operating, the lawsuit said, alleging that Marshall was required to perform the least desirable tasks more than any other employee. On his usual day off, Marshall was told to remove graffiti containing racial slurs. Supervisors told him him he might find it offensive, but would get overtime pay, the lawsuit claimed.

Marshall also applied for a lead position at the department, and was denied the position despite his managerial experience in the United States Marine Corps, according to court documents.

The lawsuit says when Marshall asked his supervisor why he did not get the job, he said another applicant had a better interview and would not elaborate on how he could have improved.

Marshall also said in the lawsuit that protective cloth chaps are supposed to be worn at all times when employees use chainsaws, but all of the chaps were either in extreme sizes or their buckles were broken. Because of this, his supervisor’s did not require them to wear the chaps.

Marshall suffered a leg injury while using a chainsaw without wearing the chaps and was fired specifically for not wearing them, according to the lawsuit.

However, another employee suffered a similar injury the previous year and was not fired or disciplined, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in federal court.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Relatives of those who died waiting for livers at now halted Houston transplant program seek answers

    Several relatives of patients who died while waiting for a new liver said Wednesday they want to know if their loved ones were wrongfully denied a transplant by a Houston doctor accused of manipulating the waitlist to make some patients ineligible to receive a new organ. Officials at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center have said they are investigating after finding that a doctor had made “inappropriate changes” in the national database for people awaiting liver transplants. Susie Garcia's son, Richard Mostacci, died in February 2023 after being told he was too sick for a transplant.

  • Manitoba First Nation sues governments over chronic flooding, wants protection

    WINNIPEG — A Manitoba First Nation that has suffered from chronic flooding is suing three levels of government for failing to provide adequate protection over decades. Peguis First Nation filed a statement of claim Wednesday that alleges the federal and Manitoba governments failed to protect the community from frequent flooding that damaged homes and forced evacuations. "Over the course of its history on the reserve land, Peguis has been flooded repeatedly and severely due to natural and man-mad

  • Parole documents reveal B.C. teen's killer thinks TV show about crime 'disrespectful'

    ABBOTSFORD, B.C. — Reena Virk's killer told parole officials that a television series about the Victoria, B.C., teen's murder is "disrespectful" and will "re-victimize" Virk's family. Documents released by the Parole Board of Canada Wednesday say Virk's killer Kelly Ellard — who changed her name to Kerry Sim — demonstrated "remorse and victim empathy" after discussing the TV show about the high-profile 1997 murder with her case managers. The parole board decision says Sim, who was 15 at the time

  • They bought Nvidia stock before the hype. It's paid for cars, vacations, and a deposit on a dream home.

    Many retail investors got in when the company was a cornerstone of PC gaming, but the rise of AI has supercharged returns for longtime bulls.

  • Trump and Pals Named Unindicted Co-Conspirators in Michigan Fake Elector Plot

    Reuters/Yuki IwamuraThe latest fallout of Donald Trump’s election lies arrived Wednesday, with prosecutors in Michigan revealing that the former president, along with his onetime Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, and his former lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, are unindicted co-conspirators in the criminal case concerning the state’s false elector plot which sought to overturn the state’s presidential election results in 2020.Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel charged 16 Republicans with forgery and conspi

  • 'Surreal' to see construction on rec centre underway: Hampton mayor

    Hampton Mayor Bob Doucet said it's "surreal" to see construction work underway on the town's new multipurpose facility. Doucet said crews from Bird Construction got going at William Bell Drive "quite a bit earlier" than they'd thought, setting up March 18. There are a few remaining tenders to look at, but he said they're pouring the concrete this week and hope to have the building enclosed and heated by December. "It's almost surreal to us, we worked so long and so hard on this," said Doucet. "T

  • Van Dijk questions desire of team-mates after loss

    Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk questions his side's desire to win the Premier League after a damaging defeat against Merseyside rivals Everton.

  • Students protesting on campuses across US ask colleges to cut investments supporting Israel

    Students at a growing number of U.S. colleges are gathering in pro-Palestinian encampments with a unified demand to end investments supporting Israel’s war in Gaza.

  • With an assist from the Denver Broncos, Colorado becomes 11th state to sanction girls flag football

    ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Colorado became the 11th state in the U.S. to sanction girls flag football as a high school sport this week, thanks to an assist from the Denver Broncos. The Colorado High School Activities Association's legislative council approved the fall sport following a three-year pilot program supported by the team and its foundation. Team owner Carrie Walton Penner said Wednesday that with the sport's approval, “more young women will be able to participate in a game they love. Mor

  • Manitoba lifts ban on homegrown cannabis, pauses some new retail licences

    WINNIPEG — The Manitoba government's plan to let people grow cannabis in their homes is being accompanied by a temporary pause on approval of some new retail outlets. Justice Minister Matt Wiebe introduced a bill Wednesday that would lift the province's ban on homegrown recreational cannabis. The change would leave Quebec as the only province with a ban. All other provinces leave the matter to federal law, which allows a maximum of four plants per household. "I want to emphasize that as we imple

  • Indofood Agri Resources (SGX:5JS) Has Affirmed Its Dividend Of IDR0.008

    The board of Indofood Agri Resources Ltd. ( SGX:5JS ) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 28th of May...

  • 'We are not bad people': Oklahoma couple described being detained in Turks and Caicos

    'We are not bad people': Oklahoma couple described being detained in Turks and Caicos

  • 'We're still fighting for it': Maryvale School District awaiting reimbursement for migrant students

    The Maryvale superintendent, whose district welcomed migrants, said NYC officials promised to repay the school for 100 percent of the costs. Now, he said his district will only be reimbursed for half.

  • Multicultural association's director set to retire in June

    The Multicultural Association of Sussex took a year to focus on its core missions and prepare for future growth, its executive director said. And as part of that growth, she says it's time for someone else to take over. Bridget Ryan, who was appointed as director of MAS in January of 2023, is leaving at the end of June, Sussex council heard at their meeting Monday. Deputy Mayor Tim Wilson told council that Harriet Taylor has been selected as her replacement and will train alongside Ryan until Ju

  • College protests live updates: USC closes main campus to public

    Many pro-Palestinian protesters are calling for their colleges to divest of funds from Israeli military operations, while some Jewish students on the campuses have called the protests antisemitic and said they are scared for their safety. The student protests -- some of which have turned into around-the-clock encampments -- have erupted throughout the nation following arrests and student removals at Columbia University in New York City. Students at schools including Yale University, New York University, Harvard University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Southern California and more have launched protests.

  • The three-year returns for CAB Cakaran Corporation Berhad's (KLSE:CAB) shareholders have been respectable, yet its earnings growth was even better

    By buying an index fund, investors can approximate the average market return. But if you buy good businesses at...

  • What the papers say – April 25

    Politics dominates the front pages for Thursday.

  • Annual ‘Dining for Duchenne’s’ event a fundraising force in Pemberton

    Heading into its seventh instalment, Alexander McCormack’s “Dining for Duchenne’s” is a fundraising force to be reckoned with. The April 27 event at Riverlands Red Barn—featuring an elegant dinner, silent auction and dance—sold out in less than a month. McCormack is the captain of a fundraising team for Muscular Dystrophy Canada called ‘Thee Golden Spirits.’ The dinner serves as their main fundraising event leading up to the Burnaby Walk and Roll for Muscular Dystrophy. “I want to help fund rese

  • Arizona House votes to repeal near-total abortion ban from 1864

    Arizona lawmakers Wednesday voted to repeal an unpopular near-total abortion ban that was enacted in 1864. The Republican-controlled state house voted 32-28 to approve repealing the draconian, 160-year-old law after a handful of GOP lawmakers defected to join Democrats. The bill now moves on to the state Senate. The GOP also narrowly controls that body, but it recently voted in favor of a ...

  • Families of Max8 crash victims accuse Boeing of playing ‘roulette’ with passenger safety as troubled aerospace company reports $355m loss

    The company was charged with fraud conspiracy in 2021