Palmetto State Armory employee alleges he found a noose at his station. Now he's suing. (2024)

COLUMBIA — A former employee has filed a lawsuit against Palmetto State Armory alleging racially motivated discrimination, retaliation and defamation after he said co-workers harassed him and left a noose at his workstation.

The lawsuit claims Tremell Washington, a Black man from Orangeburg, was harassed and unfairly terminated while working as an AK armorer for the Columbia-based gun manufacturer. Washington built and assembled firearm parts in a warehouse setting from November 2021 to September 2022.

The suit alleges violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects employees from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin.

Washington found a noose made out of an airhose when he arrived at his workstation on Aug. 20, 2022, according to the lawsuit. Washington alleges he complained to management, who made light of his concerns and failed to take proper action even after Washington informed the human resources office of the situation, the lawsuit states.

Washington later found the noose re-hung at his workstation, according to the complaint, and said previous Black employees were told they “ ‘better not mess up’ because the white co-workers had a rope.”

The plaintiff also alleged co-workers often used a racial slur against him. In the lawsuit, Washington said a co-worker told him to wear an “I can’t breathe” shirt and put his hands into the air, a reference to George Floyd and Michael Brown — two Black men killed by White police officers.

“Racist behavior cannot be tolerated in any workplace,” Washington’s attorney Chance T. Sturup said in an email to The Post and Courier. “Employers who allow this kind of discrimination must be held accountable. We plan to pursue justice for Tremell to the greatest extent of the law.”

The claim was initially filed on April 1, 2024, in Lexington County but has since been moved to the U.S. District Court of South Carolina.

In response to the complaint, attorneys representing Palmetto State Armory said Washington informed his plant manager that the airhose looked like a noose but otherwise denied violating any laws.

Julian Wilson, one of the owners of Palmetto State Armory, said he was unaware there was a claim and planned to look into the case to see if the company received notice. According to court filings, Palmetto State Armory filed to have the case moved to federal court on April 30, 2024.

Chandler E. Aragona, the attorney representing Palmetto State Armory in the lawsuit, had no comment before she spoke to her client.

Alleged retaliation

Washington said he notified leadership and left work on Sept. 1 after getting a severe migraine, according to the nine-page lawsuit. Washington was fired five days later in what the lawsuit claims was unlawful retaliation based on his complaints and his race.

In a response to the filings, the defendant said Washington was informed that leaving work early on Sept. 1, 2022 would result in disciplinary actions because it caused his team to fall behind in production.

Washington alleges he began to be criticized for small tasks like taking too long in the bathroom or not working fast enough before ultimately being fired. The lawsuit claims he was terminated in front of eight unprivileged co-workers and publicly told that he was not correctly executing his job, motivating an additional defamation claim to the lawsuit.

Controversy

The gun chain gained attention in the summer of 2023 when a man who gunned down three Black people in a racist attack in Jacksonville, Fla., was found to have used a firearm originating from the Palmetto State Armory.

In 2011, the manufacturer was noted for an AR-15 lower receiver it sold engraved with the words ”You Lie” in tribute to U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., who shouted those words at then-President Barack Obama during a speech to Congress.

The manufacturer is well-known for selling guns engraved with pro-Donald Trump and anti-Joe Biden phrases and has close ties to Republican politics in the state. Julian Wilson, part-owner, is one of Joe Wilson’s sons. The politician’s other son is South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson.

The armory arguably had its biggest moment in the political spotlight last fall when former President Donald Trump stopped by a retail store in Summerville while campaigning for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

The visit caused a stir in some legal circles after the gun shop told the former president that he could take a Glock 19 engraved with a picture of Trump if he wanted it.