Parties in the case of Marcus Morris, a former Scotland Neck police officer suing the town in a racial discrimination suit, have chosen a Winston-Salem attorney as mediator.

On Monday notice was filed that Kenneth Carlson Jr. will be the federal mediator in the case.

According to the North Carolina Academy of Superior Court Mediators, Carlson has been a mediator who has practiced labor and employment law exclusively since 1993. 

The majority of his practice now involves serving as a mediator or arbitrator, primarily focusing on various areas of employment law such as discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful discharge, breach of employment contract, FLSA/wage & hour, ERISA/benefits, and trade secret/covenant not to compete issues. 

As a certified mediator, he mediates cases in both federal and state courts throughout North Carolina, and in other states upon request.  

He is a former chair of the Dispute Resolution Section of the North Carolina Bar Association, and a Fellow with the American Bar Foundation.  

In addition to his mediation and legal practice, he is an adjunct professor at the Wake Forest University School of Law where he teaches courses in negotiation and trade secrets/unfair competition. 

He earned his JD from the Wake Forest University School of Law in 1990; a master of divinity from Yale Divinity School in 1981 and a bachelor of arts in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1976.

Morris filed the complaint last November and charges that the town subjected him “to an unlawful, discriminatory, and hostile work environment perpetuated by and through the town’s agents and employees. (The) plaintiff alleges that after he complained about discrimination, he was the subject of retaliation by agents of (the) defendant. Plaintiff further alleges that the discriminatory and hostile work environment created by agents of (the) defendant culminated in plaintiff's enduring emotional injuries and professional damages.”