Does the Mauricia Grant Settlement Prove Anything?

A while back, Mauricia Grant settled her discrimination lawsuit against NASCAR for a total of...Well, we don't know, because the terms of the settlement are confidential.

Now, given those circumstances, I had assumed the controversy would just die out and go away. But I was wrong—the controversy is still going strong.

Now, there's nothing wrong with that in and of itself—keeping things like this in mind make it harder for racism to succeed.

No, the problem is the attitude of the believers. If someone believes NASCAR is racist, you have to agree with them or you're either automatically racist (if you're white, like me), or you're a traitor to all people of color (if you're black, like several of my friends).

I've been involved in such arguments with some other users here on B/R (I'll be kind enough not to name names, but I'm sure a lot of people know who I speak of), and while I don't care about what these people think of me (after all, most know I'm a Lewis Hamilton fan, so why should I care about the opinion of a few people who don't understand the significance of that?), I find the way they tore into a black friend of mine who jumped in to be quite insulting to the entire civil-rights movement.

They basically took the stance that his opinion is wrong, and he should be ashamed of himself. The right there is just a big middle finger to his RIGHT to have an opinion.

But I'm starting to rant, so let me get to the point: What matters is not whether or not NASCAR is racist. What matters is, quite simply, did the Mauricia Grant settlement prove anything?

Anyone who's seen the inside of a courtroom, or just been around on this ball of dust we call a planet long enough, will more than agree that the answer is a resounding NO.

Why? Its rather simple. The lawsuit and its settlement has too many questions left unanswered.

First: We know that NASCAR fired two employees for racially insensitive behavior after the lawsuit was fired. But we don't know if they were people named in Grant's lawsuit—that's important information.

If they were named in the lawsuit, NASCAR would want this to be known since it would make them look better. Therefore, we can't assume that they were people named in the lawsuit.

Second: The firings occurred well before a settlement was reached and therefore have no bearing on the meaning of the settlement.

Third: The lawsuit was filed two years after-the-fact. In most cases, this is well after a statute of limitations would have expired. Her claims of discrimination are the only reason it wasn't subject to such a statute.

Lastly, the terms of the settlement are confidential. If you're trying to prove a point, you don't keep that information secret. The only thing we do know about the settlement is also most significant—NASCAR was not required to admit any sort of wrongdoing.

Ask any lawyer what a settlement really means, and unless they were representing the plaintiff in the case, they'll always say it means nothing. Settling a lawsuit only does any good when it achieves the stated goals of the original filing: Be it to shame a company into admitting a dangerous product fault, or forcing someone to admit to racial discrimination.

I will not accuse Mauricia Grant of being a "money-grubbing bitch" as many people (including some of my own friends, both white and black) have done, but a lot of the details of this case lend themselves to such an interpretation.

The sad truth is that there are TONS of people out there of all races who are willing to do whatever it takes to make a quick buck. If it weren't for these people, it might be easier to take Ms. Grant's lawsuit at face value. But in this world, doing so is extremely short-sighted.

Some will say that the fact that NASCAR settled the lawsuit at all says a lot. But sadly, it doesn't. There was a time when that WOULD have meant something, but not anymore.

Say you get T-boned at an intersection by a guy who ran a red light. Later on, he sues you for medical bills that may or may not have occurred. For argument's sake, we'll say he's suing for $50,000.

You can settle for $10,000, which your insurance will cover. But you weren't at fault in the accident, and you can prove it in court. But between lawyer and court fees, it'll cost you $15,000 out of your own pocket.

If your lawyer has half a brain, he's going to encourage you to settle the case for the $10,000 through your insurance.

The same thing happens in high-money cases such as this: It is FREQUENTLY more expensive to defend oneself, regardless of whether you are in the right or not, than it is to settle out-of-court. And in the current economic crisis, when your company is taking a financial nosedive on the level that NASCAR is, you want to save every penny you possibly can.

Despite the lateness of the filing, Ms. Grant's lawsuit was hoenstly believable right up until the settlement came. If she wanted to prove a point, she should have pushed it through to the bitter end—even if she knew she would lose.

If she'd pushed the lawsuit through to its conclusion, there wouldn't be anywhere NEAR as much skepticism about the matter.

I certainly know that had she pushed it to the end, my friends and I would certainly still be supporters of hers. By not bringing the lawsuit to its conclusion, or forcing NASCAR to admit to any wrongdoing in the settlement, Ms. Grant has done nothing but throw up more questions about the matter.

As I said before, the issue here is not whether or not NASCAR is racist. The issue is whether or not the lawsuit proves anything. And the sad truth is, it doesn't. If NASCAR really is a racist organization, this has done nothing to prove it. If NASCAR is NOT a racist organization, this has done nothing to prove it.

Mauricia Grant had a chance to prove once and for all if the criticism of NASCAR as a racist organization was true, and she dropped the ball worse than the Cleveland Browns.

There's no doubt that racism ran rampant in NASCAR's upper ranks back in the old days, but that doesn't automatically mean its still there. If we want this mystery solved once and for all, we need someone to actually pursue it to the bitter end. Not give up halfway through.

Please discuss this INTELLIGENTLY below. If you wish to discuss this matter, do so in a respectful manner. If any comments are posted that amount to nothing more than insults, I will see to it that they get removed, so don't waste your effort.