Another Day, Another Lawsuit Against Fox News
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The Fox News lawyers are busier than a one-legged man at a butt kicking contest.
It seems that each day, another lawsuit is filed against the network.
The latest lawsuit is not for sexual harassment, but this time it's racial discrimination.
Fox News Corespondent Kelly Wright is claiming that he has repeatedly been passed over for promotions “because he is black,” new court papers charge.
Wright is one of 11 current and former Fox News employees who have signed onto a proposed class action lawsuit against the network for alleged racial discrimination.
They include eight new plaintiffs, who joined an amended Bronx Supreme Court civil complaint on Tuesday.
“Despite his outstanding performance, and because he is Black, Mr. Wright has been effectively sidelined and asked to perform the role of a ‘Jim Crow’ — the racist caricature of a Black entertainer,” the suit, filed by Wigdor LLP, alleges. Wigdor filed another discrimination lawsuit in Manhattan Federal Court and an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claim against Fox.
The NY Daily News says that the latest court documents detail multiple alleged slights against Wright’s career at Fox News.
On one occasion, he asked to appear on former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly’s show to talk about the racial unrest in Ferguson, Mo., but O’Reilly refused “because it showed Blacks in ‘too positive’ a light,” Wright claims.
O’Reilly, who was recently canned in the wake of sexual harassment allegations, is not named a defendant in the suit and his reps did not immediately comment.
The victim's attorney Douglas H. Wigdor gave this statement to FTVLive, “When it comes to racial discrimination, 21st Century Fox has been operating as if it should be called 18th Century Fox. We sincerely hope the filing of this race class action wakes 21st Century Fox from its slumbers and inspires the Company to take a conciliatory and appropriate approach to remedy its wrongs. If 21st Century Fox choses to defend the indefensible--systemic race discrimination—we will utilize our collective efforts and resources to hold those responsible for these egregious discriminatory acts before a Bronx jury.”
Fox News has released a statement, "Fox News and Dianne Brandi vehemently deny the race discrimination claims in both lawsuits. They are copycat complaints of the original one filed last month. We will vigorously defend these cases."
