Miramar settles ex-police sergeant’s discrimination lawsuit. Here’s what to know

The City of Miramar recently agreed to pay $350,000 to resolve a federal lawsuit filed by former police sergeant Troy J. Wilson, who alleged he was denied a promotion because of his race, gender and age.

The settlement, obtained by the Miramar News, ends a case that had been moving toward trial in federal court in Fort Lauderdale for more than two years.

FULL STORY: Miramar to pay $350,000 to settle ex-police sergeant’s discrimination lawsuit

Here are key takeaways:

• Wilson, a white sergeant assigned to the Traffic Division, said he was repeatedly passed over for promotion to lieutenant despite nearly 25 years of experience. He was 46 when he filed the lawsuit in September 2023.
• At the center of the case was a comment attributed to an unidentified Miramar commissioner about building a command staff that “looks like me,” which Wilson argued disadvantaged him.
• Wilson also alleged retaliation after raising discrimination concerns, including removal from key assignments, heightened disciplinary scrutiny and being treated differently from other supervisors.
• He claimed disability discrimination tied to PTSD he said he developed after the 2019 Miramar Parkway shootout, in which UPS driver Frank Ordonez, 27, of Miami, and motorist Richard Cutshaw, 70, of Pembroke Pines, were accidentally killed. More than 200 bullets were fired at the scene.
• The city denies liability. City Attorney Burnadette Norris-Weeks said both sides agreed to settle to avoid the cost and uncertainty of continued litigation.
• The settlement requires Wilson’s employment with Miramar, which began in 1999, to end. Each side covers its own attorney fees.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.