Readers may remember the story about Amy Cooper, the white woman who called police on a black bird watcher in New York City’s Central Park in 2020. She later filed a lawsuit against her employer, who fired her after the video of her rant went viral. The lawsuit has been dismissed by a district judge, who says that she wasn’t wrongfully fired.
Amy Cooper, who worked as a portfolio manager at Franklin Templeton, sued her employer for wrongful termination. In her lawsuit, she alleged that her job termination was based on race and sex and that the company caused her intentional emotional distress by defaming her. The company placed her on administrative leave after a viral video of her emerged on social media confronting a black bird watcher, Christian Cooper (no relation). In the clip, Christian Cooper is heard asking Amy to leash her dog, prompting her to call 911 and accusing the bird watcher of threatening her.
The prosecutors, who charged her with filing a false report, noted that in her second 911 call, she claimed a black man tried to assault her in the park. Notably, a judge agreed to drop criminal charges against the woman, after completing five educational programs, including information about racial discrimination.
While dismissing the case on Wednesday against her former employer, US District Judge Ronnie Abrams determined that Cooper’s racial, sex, negligence, and intentional emotional distress allegations were unsubstantiated. The judge added that there was never an allegation of the company failing to discuss her behaviors with her. Besides, her lawyers admitted that the company watched the videos, which was enough to form an internal review.
After the ruling, a company representative told HuffPost in a statement that they welcomed the ruling since they believed the company reacted appropriately, adding that the company doesn’t condone any racism.
