A jury convicts a company to pay $ 10 million to a worker who alleges he was fired for being a white man

By Priscilla Thompson and Phil Helsel -

A North Carolina jury on Tuesday granted a $ 10 million immunization to an executive who denounced the company he worked for alleging that he was fired for being a white man, according to court documents.

David Duvall of Michigan sued Novant Health, Inc. in 2019 after being fired from his position as senior vice president of marketing and communications.

He alleged that he lost his job without cause "as part of

."

[Former Zuckerberg Employees Sue Family Businesses, Alleging Harassment and Discrimination]

Winston-Salem-based Novant Health denied the allegations.

and said Duvall was fired for poor performance and for delegating critical tasks to subordinates, according to court documents.

"

," a Novant Health spokesperson said in a statement saying they would appeal the verdict.

Duvall, who was hired in 2013, alleges that he was fired shortly before his fifth anniversary at the company and

.

He thus denounced discrimination in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Law.

Coach fired after they threw tortillas to students in basketball game

June 23, 202100: 31

"The message is not to abandon diversity and inclusion efforts, but they must be done legally," Luke Largess, Duvall's attorney, told NBC News.