An electrician working at the Port of Seattle has claimed he was passed over for a promotion because he is a white, straight male – and a gay Asian woman had also applied for the position.
Lawyers representing Chris Linhardt, 50, argue in a lawsuit filed last month in King County Superior Court that he had been working in the port’s electrical division and even served temporarily as its electrical foreman for several months in 2022.
So when the Port sought to permanently fill the position the following year, Linhardt jumped at the opportunity.
‘Plaintiff ranked highest in the first-round interview; nevertheless, management scheduled an unprecedented second-round interview,’ the lawsuit claims.
Another employee, an Asian woman who identifies as gay, was then allegedly coached by the head of maintenance – who served as an interview committee member.
That created an ‘unfair advantage’ in the interview, Linhardt’s attorneys argue.
The other employee ultimately wound up receiving the foreman position, though Linhardt’s lawyers say she had ‘substantially less supervisory and hands-on experience.’
‘Upon information and belief, Defendant’s decision makers were motivated by Plaintiff’s race, sex and/or sexual orientation in deciding not to promote him,’ the lawsuit argues.
Chris Linhardt, 50, has claimed he was passed over for promotion at the Port of Seattle because he is a white, straight male – and a gay Asian woman had applied for the position. A Washington State Ferries worker is pictured here at the port
The lawsuit claims Linhardt temporarily served as the Port’s electrical foreman for months before a permanent position became available
‘Plaintiff alleges that Defendant favored promoting an individual with different demographic characteristics over Plaintiff because of these protected characteristics, rather than basing the decision solely on merit.’
In doing so, Linhardt’s lawyers say the port violated the Washington Law Against Discrimination, which bars discrimination on the basis of race, creed, national origin, marriage status, family status, sexual orientation, age and more at workplaces in the state.
He is seeking damages from the lost compensation as well as from the emotional distress he has endured in the years since, plus attorney’s fees.
According to government records, Linhardt was receiving an annual salary of $115,066 in 2021, after several raises since he began working as a wireman in 2019, when he received nearly $10,000 less.
The woman who received the promotion, meanwhile, received an annual salary of $132,267 in 2023.
‘Plaintiff has experienced humiliation, indignity, frustration and anguish due to Defendant’s discriminatory actions,’ the suit claims.
His lawyer, Vanessa Vanderbrug, told the Seattle Times her client is ‘fully supportive, of course, of diversity in the workplace, but has concerns that the manner in which the Port is attempting to achieve those diversity ends is really not serving the entire workforce.’
‘Our anti-discrimination laws are designed for the purpose of allowing individuals to be judged based on merit, not based upon skin color, sexual orientation or other immutable characteristics,’ she noted.
‘From my perspective, these laws are designed to protect us all – not simply traditional minority groups.’
The Port of Seattle manages both the seaport and the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
A spokesperson for the Port of Seattle, which manages both the seaport and the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, said it does not comment on personnel matters.
However, attorneys representing the government agency have argued in court documents that while Linhardt was a qualified candidate, he was not the most qualified for the role.
They argued that the Port of Seattle ‘acted reasonably and in good faith.’
The lawyers also claimed that Linhardt only received the highest score in the first-round interview ‘due to a skewed rating by [Linhardt’s] direct supervisor and friend.’
The Port was then forced to conduct a second round of interviews over the concerns of potential bias, and the other employee ranked higher.
The lawyers are now seeking to get the lawsuit dismissed.
