Thursday, Oct. 12, 2000 | 9:26 a.m.
The former executive was awarded $1 million in a lawsuit in which he claimed he was wrongly fired three years ago for having an affair with his administrative assistant.
A federal jury in Harrison County jury returned the verdict Wednesday.
Mitchell testified in federal court that he was fired after meeting with two Grand Casinos officials, one of whom said Mitchell, who is white, embarrassed Grand Casinos because he had sexual relations with the assistant, who is black.
Mitchell, 65, claimed in his lawsuit that he was wrongfully terminated and deprived of his employment without due process.
The company, Mitchell said, had no written policies against fraternization. He said employees of the same race in similar situations simply were issued "cease and desist" orders and returned to their jobs.
Mitchell said he was treated differently "solely because of the race of the individual with whom he admitted having sexual relations."
Suzanne Rosen, spokeswoman for Park Place Entertainment, parent company for Grand Casinos, said Wednesday that the company would not comment on the case.
Mitchell's firing occurred Aug. 8, 1997, before the company was purchased by Hilton Hotels Corp. and made a subsidiary of Park Place.
Mitchell now lives in Nevada.
Mitchell was hired by Grand Casinos in 1993 to open the Biloxi resort and had been working in the casino industry for more than 20 years, largely for Harrah's Entertainment in northern Nevada.
Biloxi attorneys Walter Nixon and David Daniels, who represent Mitchell, said race was not the issue.
"It was a violation of his freedom of association," Nixon said.
The casino asked Mitchell to resign before he was fired. Mitchell refused and first filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which agreed that Mitchell had grounds to sue the casino.
Mitchell filed the suit in May 1999.
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