$4 Million for Racial Slurs, Chicago Sun Times, Oct. 19, 2000,

Mr. Asonye’s client, who was subjected to a daily barrage of racial slurs from his boss, said he was ecstatic after securing a $4 million verdict against his employer.

The Plaintiff claims that his boss repeatedly ridiculed him in Spanish by calling him a “f-----g n----r.” The Plaintiff, 45, a dark skinned man from the Dominican Republic, won the judgment when a federal jury found he had endured five years of harassment at GCC Drum, an industrial drum maker in west suburban Franklin Park. After a four-day trial, a federal court jury in Chicago awarded Mr. Asonye’s client $4,000,000, which included $3 million in punitive damages.

The jury, composed of one African American, three Hispanics and two Caucasians, found in favor of Mr. Asonye’s client after deliberating for 3 ½ hours. The verdict included $900,000 for the mental anguish caused by the slurs and $100,000 for lost wages. Mr. Asonye tried this case in federal court with attorney Jack Epstein of Chicago, Illinois.