In a “reverse discrimination” lawsuit, a federal jury has ruled that Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. did indeed discriminate against a white former maintenance manager at its old Landover coffee-roasting plant based on race.

John Sullivan was hired in 1999 and then later demoted and replaced by a black subordinate. He claimed an African American supervisor discriminated against him and then later fired him in November 2002 based on his race. The EEOC agreed and sued on his behalf in 2005.

The jury awarded Sullivan $24,200 in expenses and another $61,000 in back pay.

Commentary: Of the 27,000 claims made annually with the EEOC, race-based claims are the most common. Only about 10% of those claims involve whites as the ‘victim’ and verdicts such as this one are quite rare.

Not surprisingly A&P strongly disagreed with the verdict and indicated that it would appeal. We recommend dropping it and moving on – especially considering no punitive damages were awarded. The company might not be so lucky the next time around.