Black farmer and educator Amanda David received a $100,000 settlement in a federal civil rights lawsuit after years of racist harassment by former neighbor Robert Whittaker Jr., according to The Ithaca Voice.
Whittaker was previously convicted of harassment, stalking and hate crimes and served a one-year sentence in the Tompkins County jail.
Evidence showed Whittaker directed racist, sexist and homophobic slurs at David, her children and visitors and once fired a pellet gun toward her home, breaking a security light.
David said the harassment disrupted Rootwork Herbals, her farming and education business, and she ultimately sold the Brooktondale property in 2025.
The settlement was reached in May after negotiations that began when a judge rejected Whittaker’s attempt to dismiss the lawsuit in October 2024.
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