Harinder "Paul" Bains and his two brothers Gurinder and Gagandeep immigrated to Washington from India in 1987, seeking freedom from religious persecution. The brothers settled in Okanogan, became US citizens, and started a gas station and gasoline transport business called Flying B. In 2000, they complained to oil company Arco alleging racial and religious discrimination while contracting with Arco. The brothers claimed they and their Indian employees experienced racial slurs and on one occasion were told to clean up an oil spill with a turban, among other incidents. After receiving the complaint, Arco canceled Flying B's contract without notice and claimed it was due to safety violations by Flying B employees. In response, the Bains brothers sued Arco and said the safety claims were meant to cover up racial discrimination. The trial jury found in the Bains' favor and awarding them $50,000 in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages.

This image shows Harinder (right) and his son Ikjot Bains, shortly after the trial ended.

Caption information source: "Sikh brothers win $5 million in bias suit against Arco," by Sam Skolnik, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, June 20, 2002, retrieved from https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/sikh-brothers-win-5-million-in-bias-suit-against-1089787.php