Martice Berry, the former Maricopa police officer dismissed in August 2009 for alleged improper conduct, reached a settlement in his federal discrimination lawsuit with the city.

Berry claimed he was not guilty of the accusations, saying he was terminated in retaliation for filing a February 2009 complaint with the Civil Rights Division of the Attorney General’s Office alleging employment discrimination. In his complaint, Berry claimed he was subjected to a hostile work environment and unfair discipline because of his race.

He filed a second complaint with the division in November 2009, alleging discrimination because of his race and retaliation for the initial filing.

In October 2010, the Civil Rights Division concluded Berry was subjected to “unlawful employment practices by City of Maricopa Police Department” based on race.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, in a February 2013 letter, said it found reasonable cause that Berry was denied a promotion to Internal Affairs detective and terminated from his employment “because of his race, Black; and in retaliation for engaging in protected activity.”

Berry was never charged with a crime for his alleged misconduct.

When efforts to resolve the matter directly with the city were unsuccessful, he filed a federal discrimination suit against the city. That led to the settlement between Berry and the city.

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