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Netflix hit by lawsuit over retaliation, discrimination, and harassment claims
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The lawsuit also claims the streaming giant attempted to silence a whistleblower through private arbitration.
A former labour relations lawyer at Netflix is suing the company, claiming she was wrongfully terminated for reporting racial and sexual misconduct by two executives.
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, accused Netflix Senior Director Ted Sinclair and executive Jonah Cozien of violating laws and policies protecting employees from racial- and gender-based discrimination and harassment, and from retaliation for reporting them.
The plaintiff, Nhu-Y Phan, joined Netflix as legal counsel in labour relations in May 2021 under Sinclair. She was later fired for “unspecified performance issues” in September 2024, her lawsuit said.
According to the complaint, Phan was never subjected to any disciplinary action and was described by Cozien as a ‘great asset’ with ‘utter courage, brilliant communication, and outstanding integrity.’
Despite those reviews, Phan accused Sinclair for repeatedly excluding her and other women of color on her team from important projects and instead offered them to white colleagues. He also allegedly ‘encouraged a white employee’ to take credit for her work.
Phan made several complaints about this unequal treatment to the human resources department and to Sinclair directly, but was still denied opportunities, the lawsuit said. She later asked to be removed from Sinclair’s direct supervision and was reassigned to Cozien in August 2022.
Later, a female colleague confided in Phan, alleging Cozien was sexually harassing her. She reported the behavior to human resources and, after doing so, Cozien became ‘frequently hostile’, canceled a promised promotion, and limited her professional opportunities. She was fired shortly after.
The lawsuit also accuses Netflix of filing a lawsuit against Phan in an attempt to force arbitration proceedings, which her attorneys argue violates the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act. The statute, which became federal law in 2022, prohibits companies from forcing private arbitration in cases involving sexual misconduct.
“Netflix is a corporate bully that will do anything to avoid responsibility for its actions,” said attorney Brian Olney of Hadsell Stormer Renick & Dai, a civil rights law firm representing Phan.
“Nhu Phan had the courage to blow the whistle about Netflix executives who are discriminating against women of color and sexually harassing a female employee. Rather than address the serious issues she raised, Netflix repeatedly tried to silence Ms. Phan, first by firing her and then by suing her,” Olney said in a statement.
In a brief statement, a Netflix spokesperson said the claims outlined in the suit ‘lack merit and we intend to defend this matter vigorously.’
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