On Dec. 15, Shaumbe Wright signed a settlement in his discrimination suit against the city of Monterey, ending his 18 years of service with Monterey Police Department and agreeing to dismiss his case.
In doing so, Monterey consented to paying him $700,000—$450,000 to settle the civil litigation, and $250,000 to settle his worker's compensation claims.
Wright filed the suit in June 2014, alleging he'd been repeatedly passed up for a promotion to sergeant, a position he applied for seven times between 2002 to 2013. In his complaint, and as described in a story in this week's Weekly, Wright alleges various bad behavior by other officers who were promoted ahead of him.
A response filed by Monterey's attorneys asked that all personal details of those officers be stricken from the complaint. The city's attorneys also argued that Wright was the subject of numerous internal affairs investigation (eight from 2011-12), and that Wright's claim failed to show proof of discrimination.
The settlement was signed by all parties Dec. 15, 2014 and was obtained late today in response to a California Public Records Act request filed by the Weekly on Jan. 5. Among the details of that settlement document:
- Wright's empoyment with Monterey officially ended Nov. 28, 2014, and he agrees not to ever again seek employment with the city;
- Half of the $450,000 settlement was paid to Wright in 2014, and the remaining half will be paid this year;
- The $250,000 will be paid to him as required by state Labor Code. No date was given for that payment;
- Monterey agrees to issue Wright a retired police officer ID, and will support him seeking a concealed weapons permit as long as a medical report doesn't indicate he is psychiatrically disabled;
- Wright will be granted retirement with full honors;
- The city agrees to remove the Notice of Intent to Terminate from Wright's personnel file (it was served Nov. 26, 2013);
- All records of discipline will be purged from Wright's file;
- The terms of the settlement shall remain confidential, unless a specific request is made under the California Public Records Act.
- If contacted by the media or public about the case, all parties agree to have no comment.
In Wright's suit, he claimed to have been the only black officer on the force, and had been for 11 years. He also alleges there have been only three black cops at MPD in its 100-year history.
However, it has come to the Weekly's attention that another black officer has been hired in the last two years. Officials from the city are unwilling to confirm this.
In an earlier report, Wright declined to comment, as did Christine Davi, Monterey city attorney.