Former Pct. 3 constable awarded $1.7 million settlement in wrongful termination lawsuit

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- A former Harris County Constable Precinct 3 K-9 handler told ABC13 it's justice after a jury awarded him nearly $1.7 million of taxpayer money in a lawsuit against his former employer. A jury agreed that Bert Whittington 3rd faced racial discrimination while a deputy with the Harris County Constable Precinct 3 office.

Whittington said he joined the force in 2017 and eventually became a K-9 officer. Whittington said in his role, he began to notice a group among his coworkers having conversations and making comments disparaging Black people.

In the lawsuit filed against the county and in an interview with ABC13, Whittington said a clique within the department made disparaging remarks about George Floyd after his death, and even called a group of people 'monkeys' during a COVID-19 testing event in which mostly Black people attended.

Whittington said he and others tried to alert department leaders, but he was retaliated against by being put in dangerous situations and denied perks others were getting.

"It's very disappointing if you're going to put out in the department that you have an open-door policy," Whittington said.

Whittington was fired in 2020. Court records show Wittington failed to wear a body-worn camera twice and that he mishandled evidence.

And while the jury agreed that there was racial discrimination at play in the department, they did not believe Whittington proved beyond a reasonable doubt that he was wrongfully terminated because of his race.

Whittington said he still sees the lawsuit's outcome as a victory.

"It was never about money for me. It was about clearing my name, nothing else," Whittington said.

A jury awarded Whittington $1.65 million. Whittington said he hopes that, in speaking up, he made a difference in the culture of precinct three, but also believes more work needs to be done.

"You guys need to come together if there is injustice in any department in the state of Texas," Whittington said.

ABC13 reached out to Precinct 3, who referred to the county attorney. The County Attorney's office said they received ABC13's inquiry but have not responded.