Two Fresno workers sued the city over hostile working conditions and racial discrimination. After a legal battle lasting more than seven years that began in 2019, an eight-member jury unanimously ruled in their favor.
La-Kebbia “Kiki” Wilson, a Black woman, was awarded $15 million, and her co-worker, Charles Smith, was awarded $400,000 in damages. The duo took a legal stand against the city’s code enforcement department after their white supervisor allegedly harassed them multiple times.
Wilson claimed she was targeted based on race, and the supervisor made it difficult for her to work. Smith became involved when he told Wilson about the language and racial slurs the supervisor had used toward her.
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The supervisor, Howard Lacy,’s remarks were racist on more than one occasion. He even asked Smith not to talk to Wilson and to stay away from her. Later, Smith explained that Lacy called Wilson “entitled (N-word).” He also said she used her race card to get her job back. Furthermore, Lacy called Wilson a “lazy and a piece of s—.”
When Wilson found out about all these things, she had an outburst at the workplace. Instead of investigating the reason, she was disciplined for her retaliation. Even in his testimony, Lacy denied ever using this kind of language.
Kevin Schwin, the employees’ attorney, said Wilson should not have been investigated for being the victim. In his closing statement, he said, “We proved our case, and the city of Fresno never took this case seriously. They fought it for over seven years in court, and we finally had our day in court, and justice prevailed.”
It was a long fight for Wilson and her co-workers after years of harassment at work. Moreover, U.S. District Judge Kirk E. Sherriff did not allow the use of evidence such as the Confederate flag and a racist depiction of former President Barack Obama. During her early days of employment in Fresno, a picture of Obama on her work desk was desecrated with monkey ears.
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After winning the case, Wilson interviewed with GV Wire, slamming the previous lawyer over not asking the right question. She explained how the $15 million does not come close to what she lost during the years of harassment and how it affected her family.
She stated, “I prayed every day, not for a judgment or dollar amount or to be victorious with a dollar amount. I prayed every single night, every morning I got up to come to this trial, let the city be exposed for who they are.” Smith added, “Justice was done here today.
