A former employee at the Tyson Foods plant in Ringgold has filed a lawsuit against the company for racial threats and harassment. 62-year-old Alvin Clark filed the lawsuit in United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia on March 16.

Clark is a black man who began working at the plant in July of 2024 as a mechanic. When a position in the HVAC department opened up, Clark expressed  interest in the job.

According to the lawsuit, his supervisor tried  to tell Clark that he didn’t want the job and the white leadership team also told him he wouldn’t get the job and then called him a racial slur.

The suit also says that Clark was the most qualified person in his department but was passed over for promotions multiple times despite applying. He was again called a racial slur and told that he would not get the job.

Clark then reported the discrimination to the Human Resources Department, but nothing came from it. The suit also says that Clark was threatened with violence on multiple occasions, including threatening to hang him and pulling a gun on him.

Some of the incidents took place in front of leadership, according to the suit. Clark’s co-worker, Matthew Reeves, a white man, told people to leave Clark alone and in response he was harassed on multiple occasions.

In total the lawsuit includes nearly 100 reports of harassment against Clark and some of his coworkers. Tyson Foods issued a statement saying they deny the allegations.

Clark and his lawyer are seeking a jury trial and a trial date has not been set yet.