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Wilkes-Barre to reduce summer hires, not open Kistler pool

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Freddy Cannon to headline rock and doo wop showcase at F.M. Kirby Center

<p>SCRANTON &#8212; A federal jury this week sided with a former SCI Dallas corrections officer who claimed he was fired because he was black, awarding him $62,000 in culmination of a legal battle with the state Department of Corrections that played out for four years, according to court records.</p><p>Ricardo Jackson, of Factoryville, argued his 2011 firing was based on his race rather than the random vehicle search that year that turned up suspected marijuana, a gun and a loaded magazine in his car. He was fired after testing positive for the drug and admitting the weapon was his.</p><p>Attorney Joseph C. Borland wrote in the lawsuit, filed in 2013, that Jackson was terminated while employees of other races were let off the hook for greater infractions. Jackson&#8217;s &#8220;investigation as a black male was drastically different than similar investigations of white males&#8221; by the Department of Corrections, Borland wrote in a filing earlier this month.</p><p>A Department of Corrections spokesperson Friday did not immediately return a message seeking comment.</p><p>The lawsuit stressed the gun and suspected drugs were found in the prison&#8217;s parking lot, not within its walls, and as such didn&#8217;t pose a safety risk to other employees. It further argued the security department failed to investigate another weapon that was found outside the prison by another employee.</p><p>The state Office of Attorney General claimed the Department of Corrections reasons for firing Jackson were legitimate and &#8220;non-discriminatory,&#8221; noting weapons are prohibited on state property without prior approval. Jackson had claimed he was selling the weapon that day and didn&#8217;t have time to seek approval, court documents show.</p><p>The long-simmering case went to trial Monday and a jury awarded the damages in a verdict rendered Wednesday, finding Jackson proved &#8220;his race was a determinative factor in the Department of Corrections&#8217; decision to terminate him,&#8221; records show.</p><p>Jackson lost out on $152,846 in back pay from January 2011 to March 2015, according to a motion seeking reimbursement filed Thursday. He is not seeking to get his job back, the filing states.</p><p><ins>For other local news stories, <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/local" target="_blank">click here</a>.</ins></p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Joe Dolinsky</p><p>jdolinsky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Joe Dolinsky at 570-991-6110 or on Twitter @JoeDolinskyTL</p></shirttailMeta></div>

SCI Dallas guard awarded $62K for race-fueled firing