
89 Cal.Rptr.2d 505 (1999)
75 Cal.App.4th 803
Francis Egbule IWEKAOGWU, Plaintiff and Respondent,
v.
CITY OF LOS ANGELES, Defendant and Appellant.
No. B120350.
Court of Appeal, Second District, Division Four.
October 13, 1999.
Rehearing Denied November 5, 1999.
Review Denied January 25, 2000.
*508 James K. Hahn, City Attorney, Winston F. Tyler, Senior Assistant City Attorney, Richard M. Helgeson and Catharine H. Vale, Assistant City Attorneys, for Defendant and Appellant.
Law Offices of Leo James Terrell and Leo James Terrell, Beverly Hills, for Plaintiff and Respondent.
KUHL, J.[*]
Francis Iwekaogwu (Iwekaogwu) was employed as an engineer in the harbor department of the City of Los Angeles (City). While employed there Iwekaogwu, an African-American from Nigeria, complained that he was subjected to discriminatory treatment on the basis of his race and national origin. Eventually he brought this action against the City, allegingjury's verdict to $500,000. Iwekaogwu accepted the remittitur and judgment was entered for the plaintiff in the amount of $500,000. The City filed this appeal, reasserting the arguments made in its post-trial motions. We affirm the judgment.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
Because all reasonable inferences must be drawn in favor of the judgment below, we describe the facts in the light most favorable to Iwekaogwu.
Iwekaogwu is an African-American male. His national origin is Nigerian. He has two masters degrees in civil engineering.
*509 Iwekaogwu was hired by the City Department of Public Works in July 1988. In December 1989 he was hired by the harbor department of the Department of Public Works as a civil engineering assistant II. He was hired for the structural design section, a small unit of approximately