Jury Awards $21 Million to Former Odessa Brown Clinic Director in Race Discrimination Verdict Against Seattle Children's Hospital

For more than two decades, Dr. Benjamin Danielson led the Odessa Brown Children's Clinic, a community health center in Seattle's Central District that has served low-income families and families of color since the 1970s. As medical director, Danielson built relationships with some of the city's most underserved patients and became a prominent voice on pediatric health equity in Washington State.

In November 2020, Danielson resigned from the clinic, which operates under Seattle Children's Hospital. He said the hospital had tolerated racial slurs directed at Black and Brown employees, ignored repeated complaints about discriminatory treatment, and retaliated against him when he raised concerns. An independent investigation by the law firm of former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder found systemic workplace problems affecting employees of color at the clinic. Despite those findings, Danielson said the hospital took no meaningful corrective action.

Danielson filed suit in King County Superior Court, alleging racial discrimination and a hostile work environment under Washington law. At trial, attorneys Rebecca Roe and Jeffery Robinson of Schroeter Goldmark and Bender presented evidence that the discrimination was not incidental but institutional. The hospital disputed the claims, arguing that Danielson had resisted oversight and that any incidents were isolated.

On December 23, 2024, the jury sided with Danielson and returned a verdict of $21 million. Seattle Children's Hospital appealed. On May 26, 2026, the Washington Court of Appeals affirmed the verdict in full, finding that substantial evidence supported both the jury's liability findings and the damages award.

After the jury verdict, Danielson told reporters: 'This does not fix racism. These are wounds we'll carry the rest of our lives, in some ways.'