WSU settles racial bias suit
Former employees to receive $650,000
Washington State University has agreed to pay $650,000 to settle a racial discrimination lawsuit brought by two former employees of Chinese descent.
The settlement, revealed Tuesday, will pay $325,000 each to Dr. Ying Li and her husband, Lizhong Yang. It also calls on the Pullman school to enact policies to prevent future discrimination.
“We believe in fostering a community at WSU where all individuals feel safe, valued and respected,” WSU President Elson Floyd said Tuesday.
The plaintiffs in the federal case contended that while working in WSU’s Laboratory for Bioanalysis and Biotechnology they were subjected to overt discrimination by the lab supervisor based on their race and national origin.
They said they were precluded from speaking Chinese at work and during breaks. After complaining, they said, they were segregated into seating arrangements with other non-white employees and excluded from numerous lab meetings.
The incidents began in July 2008.
“Dr. Li and Mr. Yang came to America from China expecting to live the American dream, not expecting to see bias and prejudice at a progressive institution like WSU,” said their attorney, Scott Blankenship, of Seattle.
The lab supervisor accused of discrimination is “in the process of separating from the university,” WSU said in a news release.
Li worked at WSU for nine years and Yang worked there six years. Both resigned in November 2009 when the discriminatory conduct would not stop, Blankenship said.
The couple has moved to Southern California with their two children, Blankenship said.
The financial terms of the settlement were resolved in March, but an investigation and negotiations with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission only concluded Thursday, Blankenship said.
Floyd said WSU promptly and thoroughly investigated the allegations, and a universitywide anti-discrimination training program has been instituted, which is mandatory for all employees.
The plaintiffs are satisfied with how the case was handled, Blankenship said.
“WSU ultimately investigated the complaints objectively,” he said. “After Dr. Li and Mr. Yang sought to enforce their legal rights, WSU reached out to compensate them fairly and is working with the federal government to prevent this from happening in the future.”