A man who claimed he was fired for being a white male has been awarded $10 million, according to court documents.
David Duvall, former senior vice president of marketing and communications at Novant Health, Inc., sued the company in 2019 after he was terminated “without cause.”
In the lawsuit, Duvall alleged that he was fired as part of an “intentional campaign to promote diversity in management ranks.”
A spokesperson for Novant Health expressed that the company is “extremely disappointed in the verdict” as they believe it is not supported by the evidence presented at trial. Novant Health will pursue all legal options, including filing an appeal.
The company did not provide a reason for Duvall’s termination.
Duvall claims he was fired before his fifth year at the company and was swiftly replaced with a Black and a white woman. In court, he argued discrimination in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
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Luke Largess, Duvall’s attorney, told NBC News that he would’ve been entitled to a greater severance had he been let go on or after his fifth anniversary with the company. Instead, Duvall was terminated days before.
“The message is not to abandon diversity and inclusion, it’s to do it legally,” Largess said.
A federal jury trial was held in October, and the verdict was delivered on Tuesday.
Court records say that the jury found that Duvall’s race or sex was a motivating factor in the termination.
