A United States court clerk Wednesday signed an order approving the appointment of Winston-Salem attorney Ken Carlson Jr. as mediator in a civil discrimination complaint filed by a former Scotland Neck police officer.

The attorney for Marcus Morris, the plaintiff, and the town of Scotland Neck, the defendant, had filed a notice Monday that they had chosen Carlson to serve as mediator.

The mediator is to confer with the parties regarding scheduling of the mediated settlement conference, determine the place and time of the conference, and give notice to the parties. When the mediated settlement conference is completed, the mediator is required to submit a report to the clerk.

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. 

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.”