Black Former Merck Director Awarded $6 Million for Biased Firing

Nov. 26, 2025, 7:57 PM UTC

A Manhattan federal jury found Merck & Co. discriminated against a director of compliance and risk management by terminating him because he’s Black and awarded him $6 million, according to a court document.

Richard Davis proved by a preponderance of the evidence that he was fired “on account of his race,” says the US District Court for the Southern District of New York jury form obtained Wednesday by Bloomberg Law. The company must pay Davis $1 million in back pay, $2 million in front pay, $1 million in other compensatory damages, and $2 million in punitive damages, the form says. ...

Learn more about Bloomberg Law or Log In to keep reading:

See Breaking News in Context

Bloomberg Law provides trusted coverage of current events enhanced with legal analysis.

Already a subscriber?

Log in to keep reading or access research tools and resources.