A member of the Alabama Legislature is now suing his former employer, Austal, for alleged “racial discrimination” after being terminated by the corporation, according to a report from WPMI NBC 15 News.

State Rep. Napoleon Bracy, Jr. (D-Prichard) was fired after Austal accused him of violating its timekeeping policy. The lawmaker contends that prior to being hired by the company, he was asked to enter time away from it for his State Legislative duties as “Jury Duty Leave.”

During the week of March 11-15, 2024, the Alabama State Legislature scheduled Constituent Work Week for legislative members to meet with District residents regarding issues in their districts. According to the complaint, Bracy was terminated on March 22 for violating the timekeeping policy on March 12,13 and 14, dates which he had entered as “Jury Duty Leave.”

The federal lawsuit filed by Bracy argues the termination was partially due to his race and in retaliation for him advocating for an African-American male to be hired as the VP of Human Resources over a white male who was ultimately given the position.

Bracy worked for the company from May 2013 until March of this year. He was hired by Austal as a Workforce Outreach Coordinator and then promoted to Manager of Diversity, Inclusion, and Affirmative Action in late 2016.

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten.