Carlotta Freeman has been awarded a $1- million judgment in her case against appliance manufacturer Whirlpool. Freeman, a Black woman who was employed by the company, claimed her complaints about racial and sexual harassment were ignored by Whirlpool management that eventually caused the situation to turn into a physical altercation as she was attacked by a white male co-worker, Willie Baker.
Judge John T. Nixon, who presides over the Nashville Division of the United States District Court for Middle Tennessee, found that every level of management of the now defunct La Vergne plant in Tennessee failed to respond to Carlotta Freeman’s complaints.
Nixon’s decision was based on Freeman’s “emotional and psychological injuries caused by Whirlpool’s ineffective response to her repeated complaints of racial and sexual harassment.”
According to The Tennessean, several medical experts testified that Freeman had developed chronic post-traumatic stress disorder and couldn’t participate in normal activities.
“She’s completely disabled, not able to work because of the incident,” Freeman’s lawyer Andy Allman said. “She is pretty much a complete introvert, rarely leaves her home anymore.”
The court ordered Whirlpool to pay Freeman a little more than $1 million.
