A Wildwood man who worked at a concrete company that serves The Villages has filed a lawsuit against his former employer, alleging that his superiors regularly subjected him to racial harassment and referred to him as “boy,” “n-word,” and “monkey” during his four years of employment.
Attorneys representing Alvin Brown filed the lawsuit against T & D Concrete, Inc., on Aug. 24.
According to the complaint, Brown worked for T & D as a concrete finisher at the company’s facility in Wildwood starting in 2020. He was terminated on April 5, 2024.
During his employment, Brown alleges that two of his supervisors, identified in the complaint as Tommy Yoder and Brady Barnes, subjected him to a “persistent pattern of harassment because of his race,” including discriminatory intimidation, ridicule, and insult.
According to the filing, Brown’s supervisors repeatedly called him the “n-word” in various derogatory phrases — along with insults like “boy” and “monkey.”
Brown also claims he was mocked with comments that it was “a white man’s world and it sucks to be black.” He claims he was told that black people “don’t want to work” and “don’t get anywhere in life,” and ridiculed over his dreadlocks as “ugly” and “nappy.”
The complaint suggests the harassment extended beyond just regular verbal abuse, citing racially motivated threats that included remarks about killing Brown and working him “like a slave.”
Brown also claims he was subjected to unequal pay, was dismissed from work regularly without reason, was denied raises, and was told to “look at the color of his skin and his hair” when he inquired about promotion opportunities.
The lawsuit further accuses the supervisors of creating a hostile work environment marked by constant name-calling, yelling, swearing, and even sexual innuendo directed at Brown’s family. It notes that other black employees faced similar racial comments, contributing to what the plaintiff describes as a toxic and discriminatory workplace culture.
“The harassment was unwelcome in that it was uninvited and undesired by [Brown]. Further, the nature of the harassment establishes that the conduct was unwelcome. The use of the ‘n-word’ is the essence of despicable racial animus and the ‘n-word’ is pure anathema to African-Americans. As such, the harassment was sufficiently severe and egregious so that any reasonable person would have known the conduct was inappropriate, offensive, and unwelcome,” reads a portion of the complaint.
It alleges the harassment occurred specifically because of Brown’s race and, as such, constitutes discrimination. It also suggests the harassment was “so severe and/or pervasive” that it created a “hostile or abusive” work environment.
Because of the “racially harassing behavior,” Brown claims he felt “uncomfortable, embarrassed, humiliated, intimidated, and physically threatened at work.”
Brown’s attorneys argue that the racial harassment culminated in his termination and that the discrimination constitutes an “adverse employment action.” They accuse the business of one count of racial hostile work environment harassment, one count of racial discrimination, and two counts of retaliation.
After Brown was terminated, he filed a discrimination complaint and was notified by the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission of his right to sue.
Brown is seeking more than $50,000 in damages, exclusive of attorney’s fees. He is represented by Ocala-based attorney James P. Tarquin.