Bethea raised concerns about this racial disparity, but according to the suit, his colleagues pushed back, and his career began to be sabotaged. Bethea claimed that the plant’s director of operations targeted him, saying he wanted to catch Bethea “slipping up” and began closely monitoring his work. The director allegedly verbally berated Bethea, prompting him to file internal bias and retaliation complaints.
In February 2021, Bethea was issued a false safety violation and suspended without pay for five days. He raised concerns with the company’s vice president of food safety and quality, but Bethea claimed the VP dismissed his concerns and threatened his job. Feeling retaliated against, Bethea resigned in March 2021.
Prior to the settlement, Mountaire had secured summary judgment on some of Bethea’s claims. In October, U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Eagles dismissed his hostile work environment and retaliation claims because they were not included in his charge filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). However, the judge allowed Bethea’s racial bias claims related to the five-day suspension to proceed to trial.
