Boss called Black workers ‘monkeys’ and mocked one’s dreadlocks, Iowa suit says

A Black man filed a race discrimination complaint against his employer and was fired a week later, according to an Iowa lawsuit.

Now, Devin Ellis has been awarded $205,300 after a Polk County jury determined his boss created a “hostile work environment” and fired him in retaliation for his race-based complaints, Higgins Law Firm said in an Aug. 4 news release.

Ellis was hired by Storage and Design Group Inc. in December 2021 and later promoted to become a crew leader, according to his attorney, Stuart Higgins. But, according to the lawsuit, Ellis was paid less than white workers at the company and given “less desirable positions and work” than his white colleagues.

Court records filed by Ellis’ attorney state he was subjected to “repeated racist comments by his boss,” Ronald Patterson, who is accused of making remarks about his dreadlocks.

Patterson advised Ellis he needed to cut his dreadlocks, telling him they “looked like worms,” according to court filings. The comments were allegedly made to Ellis at least 20 times.

Attorneys for the company claimed Patterson’s comments were made in jest, and that he also had asked white employees to cut their hair.

The boss also referred to Ellis and his Black co-workers as “a bunch of monkeys,” a derogatory raced-based term, according to the lawsuit.

“The conduct was not only pervasive, but it was also severe,” representation for Ellis said in court filings. “The law is clear that the use of the monkey epithet is sufficient degrading and humiliating to alter an employee’s work environment.”

The comments were only made when Black workers were around, Ellis’ attorney said, but representation for Storage and Design Group said Patterson’s “monkeying around” comments were made when employees were not doing their jobs.

The situation came to a head in September 2022 when Ellis met with his boss and outlined discriminatory behavior he had received, according to the news release. Patterson accused Ellis of being racist against white people, according to the release,and Ellis responded by saying his mother and little brother are white.

“Oh yeah? Prove it!” Patterson replied, attorneys say.

Ellis was fired seven days after filing a race discrimination complaint, according to the court records.

His employer said Ellis was fired “for insubordination” because he failed to return a company truck. Ellis, however, said he had permission from a separate supervisor to keep the truck, court records show.

A Polk County jury ruled in favor of Ellis, claiming his employer put him in emotional distress, Higgins Law Firm said.

“We are pleased jurors recognized what Devin Ellis knew all along, that the treatment he was subjected to constituted unlawful hostile work environment because of his race and that he was fired for reporting race discrimination,” Stuart Higgins, Ellis’ attorney, said in a statement. “All the credit goes to Devin for his courage to stand up for himself and his African American coworkers.”

This story was originally published August 6, 2025 at 7:41 AM with the headline "Boss called Black workers ‘monkeys’ and mocked one’s dreadlocks, Iowa suit says."