Magistrate: Discrimination suit against HBCU should proceed

DOVER, Del. – A federal magistrate says a white man who lost his job at historically black Delaware State University should be allowed to pursue his racial discrimination lawsuit.

In a report Thursday, the magistrate recommended denying the school’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit. She said Jeffrey DeMoss has pleaded sufficient facts to show that race was a motivating factor in his termination.

DeMoss has alleged, among other things, that he overheard former university President Harry Williams call him a “white fat (expletive)” in a phone call. DeMoss also says a school official told him that his termination was motivated by race and the university wanted a black person in his position.

DeMoss was executive director for dining and auxiliary services and operations director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Center.