A federal jury ruled that a regional convenience store chain did not discriminate when it fired a black woman and her son.
The jury deliberated over two days before ruling Monday in favor of Cincinnati-based United Dairy Farmers."We always felt, if we presented the facts and avoided having this case tried on emotion and inflammatory rhetoric, the jurors would see through the rhetoric and we would prevail," said Brian P. Gil-lan, chief operating officer of UDF, which has 200 stores in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky.
UDF said Maudie Williams and her son Michael were fired from a Columbus store in 1995 for violating cash-handling procedures.
The Williamses claimed in their $17 million lawsuit that they were fired because they are black.