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Mississippi Jury Awards $3 Million to Black Strippers in Workplace Discrimination Case

A jury in Mississippi has awarded more than $3 million to five black strippers after a federal judge found their working conditions worse than those of their white counterparts. Suggested Reading Three Friends Were Headed To A Beyoncรฉ Concert, But One Dies On the Way. Guess What The Other Two Did Next? Our Fave Moments…

A jury in Mississippi has awarded more than $3 million to five black strippers after a federal judge found their working conditions worse than those of their white counterparts.

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According to NBC News, U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate presided over a week-long trial, and jurors decided the women would split the money, including funds for back pay along with past and future suffering.

Billy Walter, attorney for Dannyโ€™s Downtown Cabaret in Jackson, said he will ask Wingate to reduce the award, with plans to appeal if Wingate declines.

โ€œObviously,โ€ Walter said, โ€œthe client is disappointed in the verdict.โ€

According to the lone Yelp review on Dannyโ€™s business page by user Ali N., Dannyโ€™s management seemed โ€œderanged and scary,โ€ making patrons who received too much attention from dancers uncomfortable.

โ€œI am considering writing a letter to the editor or creating a petition to have this place investigated,โ€ Ali N. continued, โ€œbecause I feel like it is unsafe for both the customers and the workers. Which is unfortunate because I feel like the women working there are wonderful people.โ€

According to NBC News, Dannyโ€™s was fined years ago after the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said the club limited black womenโ€™s hours and fined them $25 for failure to show for a shift, while white strippers had flexible schedules and were not fined for missed shifts.

According to the EEOC, Dannyโ€™s manager also used racial slurs against a black dancer and punished black dancers by making them work at another club with worse conditions, lower pay and more lax security.

The EEOC โ€œwill protect employees in any industry who are subjected to such blatant and repeated discrimination,โ€ according to regional attorney Marsha Rucker. โ€œThe jury ... sent a powerful message to Dannyโ€™s and any employer who thinks they are above the law.โ€

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