A man in Oregon received $4.4 million on Friday in a racial discrimination lawsuit against Walmart, according to his attorneys.
The lawsuit claims Michael Mangum, a black man from Multnomah County, was racially profiled by a Walmart store associate two years ago. He was given $400,000 in noneconomic damages and $4 million in punitive damages Friday, according to a news release issued by his legal counsel Sunday.
A white store worker, Joe Williams, is alleged to have followed Mangum around on March 26, 2020, before telling him to leave the store. Mangum refused to leave, prompting Williams to call the police and allege to them that Mangum “started flipping out” even though he was not acting violently, according to court records.
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“Noticing that he was under surveillance by a Walmart loss prevention employee, Mangum objected, believing he was racially profiled,” an attorney for Mangum wrote in a statement.
Multnomah County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the store where the confrontation took place but did not take action on Williams’s allegations because law enforcement said the employee had a reputation for making false reports to police, in addition to “shifting explanations as to why the employee called,” multiple outlets reported.
“Our Deputies have a fair and balanced approach to criminal investigations,” Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese told the Washington Examiner in a statement. “I am pleased with how our members responded and assessed the allegations being made in this situation. They recognized inconsistencies in the caller’s report and in past interactions,” the sheriff added.
Walmart said it does “not tolerate discrimination” in a statement sent to the Washington Examiner, though it said the verdict is “excessive and is not supported by the evidence.”
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“Mr. Mangum was never stopped by Walmart’s Asset Protection. He interfered with our associates as they were surveilling and then stopped confirmed shoplifters, and then refused to leave despite being asked to repeatedly by our staff and Multnomah County deputies. We are reviewing our options including post-trial motions,” a Walmart spokesperson wrote.
