A Black woman who filed a lawsuit against her racist neighbor following years of abuse in Waterbury, Connecticut, received an unfavorable ruling from the Connecticut Supreme Court on June 27.
The court ruled that Kelly Howard isn’t entitled to more than $15,000 in damages for the emotional distress she reportedly suffered at the hands of her neighbor, Richard Cantillon.
Howard filed a lawsuit with the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities against Cantillon, on June 8, 2015, after Cantillon repeatedly called her the N-word and threatened to kill her on multiple occasions.
The harassment first began after Howard bought a condominium in Waterbury in January 2009 on Perkins Avenue. Soon after moving in, Cantillon verbally and physically harassed Howard. Cantillon also flashed his middle finger at Howard as she walked her dog or went to the garbage dumpster and called her the N-word several times per week.
Part of the lawsuit states, “Subsequent to the January 21, 2009, association meeting, and ongoing since that time, the respondent has regularly called complainant a ‘n—r,’ given her the middle finger, or engaged in other obscene-gesture harassment when he encounters her outside her condominium unit. Such incidents occurred between two and five times a week.”
According to the lawsuit, Cantillon was arrested on two separate occasions for his harassment; once during a condominium association meeting in January 2009, and again in February 2015, after he threatened to hit Howard with a shovel as she shoveled snow.
“The respondent said ‘n—rs don’t belong here’ and lifted his own shovel to hit her,” read the complaint. Howard blocked Cantillon’s shovel with her own, but they were both arrested. On Feb. 23, 2015, Cantillon walked past Howard’s door and yelled “I’m still going to get you, n—r.” He also allegedly threatened to get his gun and shoot Howard.
Cantillon also called Howard’s…
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