A Smith County resident is suing over claims of race discrimination.
Willie Lee Suell filed a lawsuit Feb. 11 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas Tyler Division against Reynolds & Kay Ltd., an asphalt and paving company based in Tyler. The suit cites violations of United States Code.
According to the complaint, Suell was an employee of the defendant and on Aug. 13, 2013, he was allegedly cursed out and called a racial epithet by his supervisor.
The plaintiff says he reported this incident and was instructed to go home and return the next day. When he returned to work, he was terminated for allegedly walking off the job, according to the complaint.
The plaintiff contends that he was terminated as a result of his race and because of his opposition to race discrimination.
Suell is seeking a declaratory judgment against the defendant, an injunction ordering the defendant to reinstate him with full pay or award back pay and front pay, compensatory damages, back pay and front pay, punitive damages, fees and costs.
The plaintiff is being represented in the case by attorney Alex A. Castetter of Stuckey, Garrigan & Castetter.
The case has been assigned to District Judge Leonard E. Davis.
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas Case No. 6:14-CV-00118-LED
This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.