https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost...red-me-because-i-am-white-lawsuit/amp/?espv=1
A former employee of the Atlanta Hawks claims the NBA franchise discriminates against white workers — and fired her after she complained about the alleged mistreatment.
Margo Kline, who worked as a community development coordinator for the team for five years, claimed in a lawsuit filed Friday that external affairs director David Lee, who is black, fostered a culture of discrimination against white colleagues, particularly women, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Lee, according to the lawsuit, frequently made jokes about “white culture” and was dismissive toward white employees. Lee also would hire and promote less-qualified black employees over white people, according to Kline’s lawsuit, which seeks punitive damages and a jury trial.
After she complained about the alleged treatment, Kline said the organization began unfairly criticizing, even ridiculing her and gossiping to other workers about her performance. Other white employees also were told not to speak with Kline directly or they could be fired, according to the lawsuit.
Kline eventually was fired in March 2017 after receiving a final written warning for her conduct and performance three weeks earlier. Kline had never been reprimanded prior to complaining about the alleged discrimination and sought ways to improve her work but was routinely ignored, her lawsuit claims. Kline later filed an employment discrimination charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Journal-Constitution reports.
In a statement to the newspaper, Hawks officials said the organization takes all claims of discrimination seriously and has reviewed the “baseless” claims.
“The case was quickly dismissed at the [Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] level,” the statement read. “We deny these claims and will vigorously defend against them.”
A former employee of the Atlanta Hawks claims the NBA franchise discriminates against white workers — and fired her after she complained about the alleged mistreatment.
Margo Kline, who worked as a community development coordinator for the team for five years, claimed in a lawsuit filed Friday that external affairs director David Lee, who is black, fostered a culture of discrimination against white colleagues, particularly women, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Lee, according to the lawsuit, frequently made jokes about “white culture” and was dismissive toward white employees. Lee also would hire and promote less-qualified black employees over white people, according to Kline’s lawsuit, which seeks punitive damages and a jury trial.
After she complained about the alleged treatment, Kline said the organization began unfairly criticizing, even ridiculing her and gossiping to other workers about her performance. Other white employees also were told not to speak with Kline directly or they could be fired, according to the lawsuit.
Kline eventually was fired in March 2017 after receiving a final written warning for her conduct and performance three weeks earlier. Kline had never been reprimanded prior to complaining about the alleged discrimination and sought ways to improve her work but was routinely ignored, her lawsuit claims. Kline later filed an employment discrimination charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Journal-Constitution reports.
In a statement to the newspaper, Hawks officials said the organization takes all claims of discrimination seriously and has reviewed the “baseless” claims.
“The case was quickly dismissed at the [Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] level,” the statement read. “We deny these claims and will vigorously defend against them.”
