An Oregon man was arrested back in February 2017 for reporting racism at his former workplace because his former boss called in a friend who worked for the West Linn Police Department to arrest him for making the report. He was awarded an additional $600,000 for the false arrest.
According to Raw Story, Michael Fesser,48, reported the racial harassment committed by his co-workers to former boss Eric Benson, the owner of A&B Towing in Portland. Fesser said he was called various racial slurs and was even asked if he would like a confederate flag placed on a pickup truck in the workplace’s parking lot. Shortly after the report, Fesser was arrested by police without probable cause and his belongings were seized without a warrant.
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Fesser filed a lawsuit against his former boss which revealed dozens of racist text messages between Benson and the former police chief. During a November 2017 trial, Fesser was indicted but his former boss’ lawyers said they would offer to dismiss the charges against him if he dropped his lawsuit.
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In March 2018, the company agreed to pay Fesser $415,000 in damages, wages, and attorney fees as a settlement but West Linn awarded an additional $600,000 to Fesser for the false arrest. Fesser’s lawyer, Paul Buchanan, hopes that his client’s case will spread more public awareness about reform and the mistreatment by law enforcement.