\u201cWe believe the punitive damages award is a message that an employer cannot terminate and replace employees in order to achieve greater diversity in the \u2026<\/b>
\n\u201cWe believe the punitive damages award is a message that an employer cannot terminate and replace employees in order to achieve greater diversity in the workforce.\u201d On Tuesday, a marketing and communications executive who lost his job at a North Carolina-based health care system and claimed it was because he was a white male was awarded $10 million by a federal jury. In his 2019 lawsuit, David Duvall argued that Novant Health\u2019s diversity efforts led to him being replaced in July 2018. \u201cThe jury said that Duvall proved that his race and gender were motivating factors in Novant Health\u2019s decision to terminate him, according to the jury\u2019s verdict form. The jury also indicated that Novant Health failed to prove that it would have dismissed Duvall regardless of his race,\u201d the Winston-Salem Journal reported. \u201cDuvall said in his lawsuit that he was fired in 2018 without warning or explanation shortly before his fifth anniversary with the company. He said he was replaced by two women, one Black and one white. Duvall, who worked in Mecklenburg County, accused Novant of violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits race and gender discrimination in the workplace,\u201d WXII 12 noted. \u201cHis attorneys proposed that he was fired \u2018out of the clear blue sky\u2019 because he was a white man, and that the move was in keeping with the hospital\u2019s \u2018five year plan\u2019 to boost diversity by 2020. They said he wasn\u2019t the only white executive fired; in his complaint, he says the Chief Legal Officer, Medical Group President, Chief Information Officer, Patient Experience Officer and President of Haymarket Medical Center were all replaced either by a black person or a woman in the 12-18 months after him,\u201d The Daily Mail added. Duvall\u2019s attorney, S. Luke Largess, celebrated after the verdict, asserting, \u201cWe are pleased that the jury agreed that Duvall\u2019s race and gender were unlawful factors in his termination \u2014 that he was fired to make room for more diverse leaders at Novant.\u2026 Duvall was a strong advocate of diversity at Novant. We believe the punitive damages award is a message that an employer cannot terminate and replace employees in order to achieve greater diversity in the workforce.\u201d Novant Health had countered that Duvall\u2019s poor leadership skills led to his firing. Megan Rivers, a spokeswoman for Novant Health, responded to the verdict, saying, \u201cWe are extremely disappointed with the verdict as we believe it is not supported by the evidence presented at trial, which includes our reason for Mr. Duvall\u2019s termination. We will pursue all legal options, including appeal, over the next several weeks and months.\u201d She added as she defended the company, \u201cNovant Health is one of thousands of organizations to put in place robust diversity and inclusion programs, which we believe can co-exist alongside strong non-discriminatory policies that extend to all races and genders, including white men. It\u2019s important for all current and future team members to know that this verdict will not change Novant Health\u2019s steadfast commitment to diversity, inclusion and equity for all.\u201d The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a member.<\/p>\n