MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Nine workers in the Auburn University athletic department who were laid off or reassigned have filed a federal lawsuit accusing the school of racial discrimination.
The lawsuit against the university was filed Thursday in U.S. District Court. Seven of the former custodial workers were laid off last May and two others were moved to another department during a reorganization after Auburn moved from Beard-Eaves Coliseum to the smaller new Auburn Arena.
Ten of the 11 employees who lost their jobs in the athletic department were black, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit says the plaintiffs can attest to rampant discrimination against African-American workers in the university’s athletic department.
University spokesman Mike Clardy says attorneys cannot comment because they have not seen the lawsuit.
