A former Suffolk County Department of Public Works employee was physically assaulted by a supervisor, subjected to crude racial slurs from colleagues and denied promotions because he is Black and Latino, according to a discrimination lawsuit filed this week in federal court in Central Islip.

The lawsuit filed by Julio Germain, a Suffolk resident, said he was subjected to continuous ridicule and intimidation during the five years he worked for the Department of Public Works, the lawsuit said. Germain quit the job in August 2024.

"Plaintiff’s employer assaulted him, engaged in a continuous pattern of using racial slurs and epithets," the court papers said.

Germain lodged multiple complaints about the alleged discrimination he faced with Suffolk officials but no steps were taken to fix w

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