The Good Black: A True Story of Race in America

In a crackling courtroom drama that illustrates just how ambiguous issues of race can be, Wall Street Journal deputy legal editor Barrett examines the case of Larry Mungin, his roommate at Harvard Law School. Mungin sued his Chicago-based law firm, Katten Muchin & Zavis, charging racial discrimination. The sole African-American lawyer in KMZ's Washington, D.C., office, Mungin was awarded $2.5 million in 1996 by a jury of seven blacks and one white; but on appeal, two white judges prevailed over the black chief judge and reversed the jury ruling. Was Mungin the victim of racial bias? There is no easy answer, as Barrett readily acknowledges. Mungin claimed that KMZ failed to consider him for partnership, paid him less than white associates and assigned him low-level tasks far below his abilities. But the firm retorted that the bankruptcy work for which Mungin was hired dried up, that his starting salary was set by the marketplace and that he was the only associate offered a transfer to another office. While Barrett admits ""there wasn't any direct evidence"" that Mungin was treated differently because of his race, he nevertheless believes that race probably was an important factor in the firm's ""callous"" marginalization of Mungin. Therefore, concludes Barrett, the appeals court should have let the jury's verdict stand. Readers' opinions will be sharply divided. Because the case involved not egregious racist acts but rather more subtle forms of alleged discrimination, law firms (and many other employers) will want to scrutinize Barrett's painstaking analysis. Agent, Julian Bach. (Feb.)