Amy Cooper, a white woman who called 911 to falsely accuse a Black bird watcher of threatening her life in Central Park, has filed a lawsuit against her former employer for firing her.
Driving the news: Cooper alleges in the lawsuit against Franklin Templeton that the company didn’t conduct an investigation before firing her after video of the incident went viral last May, and she claims she’s a victim of racial discrimination.
Following our internal review of the incident in Central Park yesterday, we have made the decision to terminate the employee involved, effective immediately. We do not tolerate racism of any kind at Franklin Templeton.
— Franklin Templeton (@FTI_US) May 26, 2020
Zoom in: The suit, filed Tuesday night in the Southern District of New York, states: “This confrontation became international news as a racial flashpoint, characterized as a privileged white female ‘Karen’ caught on video verbally abusing an African American male with no possible reason other than the color of his skin.”
- Cooper alleges that Franklin Templeton “nurtured” this characterization, claiming that she called police not because she’s racist but because she was fearful.
What they’re saying: Franklin Templeton said in a statement to media Wednesday it would defend “these baseless claims.”