>From ecl@mtgzy.att.com Fri Jan 22 14:37:28 1993

 Heterosexual Discrimination Case Copyright (c) 1993 The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. COURT SUSTAINS JURY  AWARD  ON  BIAS  AGAINST  HETEROSEXUAL A trial judge in Washington, D.C., approves a jury's  award
at Howard University Hospital based on her allegation that she
was laid off in retaliation for her complaints of a hostile work
environment created by lesbian co-workers and administrators. The
award  was granted following a four-week trial.
 
    The court holds that the jury had more than sufficient
evidence to conclude that Luethel Tate Green was targeted for
termination because she was a  heterosexual.  She is entitled to
recover, the court says, even if her convictions or suspicions
about her colleagues were mistaken.
 
    The court adds that the jury could find favoritism toward
employees of the same sex or the same sexual inclination, even if
such favoritism did not result in an actual lesbian relationship.
The District of Columbia Human Rights Act would permit a claim of
reprisal if Green had a reasonable good faith belief that such
lesbian-based favoritism existed, that she complained about it,
and was fired in a contrived reduction-in-force because of her
complaints and opposition, according to the court.
 
    The court directs the hospital to reinstate Green in January
1993 to her former job or an equivalent position. A-6