Fired executive sues Netflix for harassment, discrimination
What's the story
A former labor relations executive at Netflix, Nhu-Y Phan, has filed a lawsuit against the streaming giant. The lawsuit alleges that she was wrongfully terminated for reporting two of her superiors—Ted Sinclair and Jonah Cozien—for discrimination and sexual harassment. Despite receiving a positive employment review, Phan claims she was fired 10 months ago after raising "legitimate legal concerns" about Sinclair's discrimination against women of color and Cozien's sexual harassment of a female colleague.
Allegations
Phan's allegations against Sinclair
In a 76-page complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, Phan claims that Sinclair discriminated against her (she's Asian American) and two Latinx women by not assigning them any Netflix series, or allowing her to attend meetings with cross-functional partners. The lawsuit states that despite her repeated verbal and written complaints about Sinclair's "ongoing unlawful conduct" from March to June 2022, Netflix allegedly took no action to prevent his continued discrimination and retaliation against her.
Sexual harassment
Phan's allegations against Cozien
In August 2022, Phan began reporting to Cozien, a director-level employee. Over a year later, a colleague confided in her that Cozien was engaging in shady conduct. This included inviting the colleague to lunch, dinner, and drinks outside of the office and sending direct messages through their office chat platform, propositioning her for more outings. The lawsuit alleges that after Phan urged her colleague to report this behavior to HR, Cozien retaliated with written reports critical of her performance.
Retaliation
Cozien allegedly conspired with Sinclair to have her fired
Despite Phan's complaints about Sinclair's "discriminatory, harassing, and retaliatory conduct", he was promoted to Senior Executive Counsel on May 1, 2023. The lawsuit claims that after she reported his behavior to HR, Sinclair conspired with Cozien to have her fired so he could take over the scripted comedy without her falling under his leadership again. On August 16, 2023—the same day when Sinclair assumed this responsibility—Cozien informed Phan that Netflix was terminating her employment for unspecified "performance issues."
Company response
Netflix denies the allegations; lawsuit seeks jury trial
Netflix has denied the allegations made by Phan. In a statement to Deadline, the company said, "These claims lack merit, and we intend to defend this matter vigorously." The lawsuit seeks a jury trial along with unspecified general and punitive damages for wrongful termination, negligence, and infliction of emotional distress.