By Jane Musgrave
The Palm Beach Post
PALM BEACH, Fla. — A former Palm Beach County correctional officer, who was fired in 2010 for being disrespectful to superiors, is suing Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, claiming she was subject to harsher discipline than other jail guards.
Vera McCrae, who is black, claims that white officers who cursed at their bosses were not fired. Further, she claims in the lawsuit filed in federal court in West Palm Beach, she never was disrespectful toward her superiors. She was “falsely accused” of it in August 2009 and October 2009 and finally fired after similar untrue allegations were made in March 2010, according to the lawsuit filed by attorney Wendell Locke.
By comparison, she claims, white officers have engaged in “all type of heinous acts,” including reckless driving, use of racial slurs, unauthorized overtime and even crimes, and weren’t fired or were ultimately reinstated.
Sheriff’s officials weren’t immediately available for comment. McCrae is seeking a minimum of $75,000 in damages.