Muslim guard gets $465K in Calif. harassment suit


January 25, 2012 at 12:15p.m.

Muslim guard gets $465K in Calif. harassment suit

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A San Francisco jury awarded $465,000 to a Muslim security guard who says his co-workers and supervisors called him a terrorist and an al-Qaida member.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports jurors added $400,000 in punitive damages Monday to their earlier $65,000 verdict in favor of Abas Idris for lost wages and emotional distress.

The 27-year-old says he quit his job as a security guard for Los Angeles-based Andrews International in February 2010 after the company failed to take his complaints about harassment seriously. He had served as a guard at the Letterman Digital Arts Center in the Presidio.

An attorney for Andrews says the company had promoted Idris to a supervisory position and plans to appeal the verdict.