Man says cable installer 'systematically' got rid of black employees

CHARLESTON – A Charleston man says he was fired from his job installing cable because he is black.

Marc Dean filed a lawsuit April 6 in Kanawha Circuit Court against Baker Installation, which installs cable for Suddenlink.

Dean claims he began working for Baker on April 24, 2004. At first, he worked in Charleston before being transferred to the Teays Valley office.

He says there were initially six black males employed by Baker, but he alleges the company systematically terminated these employees, or caused them to leave through working conditions.

Dean says his first encounter with a racially hostile environment occurred soon after he started working at Baker.

He said that his supervisor had claimed he left equipment with a customer. And though Dean claims he was told by a dispatcher to leave the equipment, the company still made him sign a disciplinary reprimand.

Dean claims that blacks who worked for Baker were often assigned to work in the remote areas of Charleston where they were subjected to racial harassment.

He adds that blacks often had to either finish or redo jobs that white employees either failed to do or had done incorrectly.

On June 21, 2007, Dean says someone complained that he had failed to complete a job assignment. Dean said he and a supervisor went to the job site where Dean says he proved that the job had been completed.

Dean claims that the supervisor said he would call Suddenlink to tell them that Dean completed the job.

However, the next day, Dean claims, he was accused of lying on his paperwork about this job and was fired.

He's seeking damages.

Eunice Green is representing the plaintiff. The case is before Kanawha Circuit Judge Tod Kaufman.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number: 09-C-624