A judge has tossed a lawsuit brought by two white NBC cameramen who alleged they were the victims of discrimination when Questlove got them fired from ‘The Tonight Show.’
via NYDN:
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Carol Edmead ruled that the cameramen, Kurt Decker and Michael Cimino, had to settle their claims in arbitration due to a collective bargaining agreement between their union and the network.
“The CBA is unambiguous, it’s clear,” Edmead said, explaining why arbitration was the appropriate forum for the dispute.
Decker and Cimino had said that they, as well as Roots bassist Mark Kelley, received “an unsolicited racist and misogynist text message from a Tonight Show stagehand” in June of last year, according to their suit.
They reported the text to The Roots manager and an NBC technical production manager. They say they were both suspended, but Kelley was not.
Questlove wanted “all of the Caucasian employees involved” fired, according to their lawsuit filed in January.
At attorney for Decker and Cimino, Steve Wittels, said they had not yet decided to pursue an appeal of Edmead’s ruling.
“We believe NBC wronged these employees, regardless of color,” Wittels said.
They knew they didn’t have a ‘real’ case.
