A Brooklyn judge denied the New York City Law Department's motion to dismiss a discrimination complaint filed by a former employee who alleges that his supervisors made racist comments and that he was fired in retaliation for lodging a complaint.

Dwayne Parham alleges that his supervisors began hurling racial slurs at him in 2018, just a few months after he began working for the Law Department's special litigation department. Parham claims that senior counsel Michael Finkelstein made comments to him about fried chicken and watermelon, that he was passed over for mentorship opportunities, and that he was chastised in front of colleagues, according to court papers.

Additionally, Parham alleges that Finkelstein and Joseph Segreti, Parham's direct supervisor, called Black people "lazy" and referred to support staff as "lint on a jacket," and that senior counsel Howard Eison asked one of Parham's co-workers "who unshackled your chains so you can walk away from your desk." He also alleges that, at this time, he was being saddled with a heavier workload than his white colleagues.

After he filed internal complaints about his working conditions, Parham was transferred to the Law Department's special federal litigation unit, where his caseload was 10 to 20 times greater, he alleges. And once word got around that he had lodged complaints, Parham claims, all but one of his co-workers refused to talk to him.

The Law Department terminated Parham in 2021, and Parham subsequently filed...

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