Feb. 1, 2008, 3:32PM

By L.M. SIXEL
2008 Houston Chronicle

A jury in Houston has awarded $2.9 million to a former employee of Federal Express Corp., finding the huge delivery company retaliated against the worker after he leveled charges of race discrimination.

Derosher Price worked in security at FedEx in Houston when he sued the company for race discrimination in 1999 after he was passed over for promotion. The suit was dismissed and Price lost his appeal in 2002.

Later that year, Price — who is black — began receiving reprimands from his supervisors about his work performance, he alleged in a second suit.

When he sought to tell his side of the story by getting statements from his co-workers to rebut claims that he dealt with a customer unprofessionally, he was reprimanded for that, said G. Scott Fiddler, an employment lawyer in Houston who represents Price.

A spokesman for Memphis, Tenn.-based FedEx said he could not comment until he got more information about the case.

Price, who joined FedEx in 1984, was terminated in 2005 after receiving his third warning letter in 12 months, according to his lawsuit.

The jury deliberated for five hours before returning its verdict late Thursday in the case heard by U.S. District Judge Sim Lake. The award included $2.5 million in punitive damages.