After a Black employee filed a race discrimination lawsuit against CNN, a Vice President of the company allegedly threatened to kill him.
After the incident was reported, the VP employee went unpunished while the Black employee was further disciplined.
DeWayne Walker claims that on August 15, he was in a bathroom with his boss, Vice President Whit Friese, at the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia. While they were together, Walker was allegedly approached by Friese.The VP told him:
"Just drop it."
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Walker replied:
"Or?"
According to Walker's lawsuit, Friese then approached him at a urinal and quietly said:
"If you f–k with my money, I will kill you."
Five days later, Walker reported the incident to CNN's human resources department.
The next day, however, Walker was the one facing disciplinary action.
He was placed on paid administrative leave while Friese saw no punishment.
Walker's attorney, Mario Williams, told The New York Post:
"It's a travesty and a sham. You're using an administrative process to punish a person who made the complaint."
Three months later, Walker, a manager of integrated marketing, is still on leave.
Williams commented:
"The next best thing to firing someone is keeping them out of the office on administrative leave with pay even though he's the victim."
A CNN spokesperson called Walker's claims "outrageous and damaging," and issued a statement which said:
"The accusations by Mr. Walker are entirely false, both with regards to his personal career development and the slanderous allegation against a co-worker that never happened. They are the latest in more than five years of claims that have been consistently rejected by the courts and the [Equal Employment Opportunity Commission]. We will vigorously defend this suit in court."
Walker previously filed an EEOC complaint in 2014, believing he had been denied promotions due to his race. After a judge reviewed the case, however, they determined he wasn't qualified for seven of the nine positions he applied for and dismissed his case.
In the meantime, however, Walker has also filed a lawsuit claiming a pattern of "systemic discrimination" against men of color at CNN.
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