Insurer Wins Appeal in Firing Over Klan Reference

The Michigan appeals court has ruled in favor of a Lansing-area insurance company that fired a white employee who offended a black co-worker.

The court overturned a decision by an Ingham County judge. Angela Shaft claimed her dismissal at Jackson National Life was illegally based on race.

In 2012, Shaft sent an email to Candace Jones about finding a ticket to a basketball game between the Ku Klux Klan and the Knights of Columbus to benefit a Jewish group. Shaft submitted a picture for an employee newsletter.

Jones, who is black, complained, and Shaft was fired for violating the insurer’s harassment policy.

In a 2-1 decision last week, the appeals court says the firing was based on the content of the message – not the race of the messenger, Shaft.