Jury awards Fulton County man Douglas Carl $300,000 in discrimination suit

A federal jury has sided with a white man who claimed he suffered racial and gender discrimination when Fulton County officials chose a black woman over him for a job.

Doug Carl (pictured above), Fulton County's former deputy director of human services, applied for the job of director in April 2007, after the person holding that post -- a black woman -- stepped down. He believes that he was passed over, in favor of another black woman, because county officials wanted a black woman in that job, reports The Atlanta Joual-Constitution.

The Fulton County Daily Report reports that jurors ordered the county to pay $300,000 to the man.

Lawyer Andrew Coffman, who represented Douglas Carl, said the $300,000 award may represent only a portion of the total damages. Coffman said the court must still determine whether Carl is entitled to compensation for future wages he would have eaed, additional pension benefits and attoey fees.

The Atlanta Joual-Constitution reports that Fulton County Attoey David Ware denied any discrimination in the hiring. Ware said in a statement after last week's verdict that Carl lost the job because he "completely blew the interview."