AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) A man who says his jewelry company employers called him a “Big Indian” has won $40,000 in a lawsuit he filed in Maine.

Jason Brown says his employers’ comments about “Indians and firewater” made him feel reduced to his Native American heritage as a joke and a stereotype. Brown is a Penobscot Indian Nation member.

Day’s Jewelers owners Jeff and Kathy Corey have denied such statements.

Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy found last month that Brown was subjected to unwelcome harassment based on his race and awarded the damages.

Brown in 2012 filed a human resources complaint that a co-worker questioned his Native American heritage. Murphy’s opinion says it’s “undisputed” that Corey showed Brown a picture of a man dressed up in Native American clothing doing a “rain dance.”