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SACRAMENTO -- Trash -- it's the one thing everybody needs to have picked up.

But Wendell Brown says the job of managing that process got him picked on by the city of Sacramento -- because of his race.

"It was just draining me," he said.

But now Brown has emerged as the victor in a battle of bias he says he's been fighting for years - awarded $558,000 and an estimated $1 million in attorneys fees by a Sacramento County jury.

"I'm so proud of my attorney because he painted it so clear for them," said Brown.

"The transfers involved at least four people, and that was really the way we were able to demonstrate racial discrimination and retaliation," said Brown's attorney, Richard Lewis.

Lewis is talking about work-site transfers.

Jurors believed they were only based on skin color, rejecting the city's assertion that they were part of an established rotation of managers.

"Yet there was not a single email, a single document anywhere talking about rotation of supervisors," Lewis said.

"The people who were involved in this left the city after the cases were filed. Steve Harriman went to Rancho Cordova. Rina Schwartz went to San Pablo," Lewis said.

Brown is one of about 14 black and Hispanic solid waste workers who say they've been denied promotions and disciplined differently than their white peers.

Brown first noticed discrimination happening between lower-ranked workers on issues like family medical leave.

"One runs out of FMLA, calls in sick coming back from skiing, they did nothing to him. The other guy has FMLA, his mom's dying. The doctor tells him the condition is permanent and stationary, only change is gonna be when she passes. He has to get FMLA renewed every month. He's African-American. The other gentleman was white," said Brown.

Brown says the situation worsened when he tried to go to bat for them, by taking things up the chain to the city attorney's office.

"I looked for that to be my savior when it attacked me the worst," he said.

"Specifically Kathy Rogan from the city attorney's office, she made sure that the settlement conference judge relayed that to us, if we went any further, they were going to come after his house," said Lewis.

"She threatened me with if you lose, we're coming after your house. We're gonna garnish your wages and all this kind of stuff, and I'm like you know, you're not dealing with a coward here," said Brown.

Through it all Brown tried fight the abuse all on his own, keeping the situation from his wife and daughters but the stress took its toll.

"He was there physically, but he wasn't there emotionally. He wasn't there mentally,"said Debra Brown.

Now that's he's opened up, let them help him and taken aim at the city in court, they've very proud and have a message for Sacramento.

"And if they're not honorable, then he wants to make sure things are right. So he did what was right and didn't let them bully him," said Chantelle Brown.

"Don't bully people, don't do something that you know you shouldn't do. Don't take advantage of someone's situation, and don't think you can get away with it," said Elexis Brown.

Sacramento's city attorney would not comment on camera Monday about the threat claims or the verdict.

James Sanchez did offer this comment by phone:

"We are certainly disappointed in the jury's decision. We continue to believe that the city of Sacramento took reasonable steps as the employer in this case and we are considering options up to and including filing an appeal."

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