Only in America

last updated 8 January 2015

A white truck driver for the city of Englewood, N.J., has filed a discrimination lawsuit, charging that his supervisor repeatedly insulted him with racial slurs. John Cioffi alleges that his supervisor, Danette Adams, who is black, called him a “white boy,” and “a dumb white piece of trash.” After a city lawn mower broke down, Cioffi says, Adams remarked, “Leave it to a dumb white guy to get a mower stuck on a curb.” Cioffi is seeking damages for emotional distress, as well as for pain and suffering.

Palm Beach Community College in Florida has angered gay-rights groups by extending health benefits to cover employees’ pets but not their “domestic partners.” College employees can now get a discount on health insurance for their dog, cat, hedgehog, frog, guinea pig, or gecko. Yet a plan to extend health coverage to employees’ live-in partners was rejected in August. “Many pet owners consider their dogs and cats part of their families,” said Deirdre Newton of the Palm Beach Human Rights Council, “but there is a basic disconnect when an employer will insure an employee’s pet but not an employee’s partner.”