Columbia Records is being sued for discrimination by the former executive assistant of chief executive Ron Perry.
Last week, Patria Paulino filed a lawsuit, claiming that she was compelled to resign after resisting hiring practices that reportedly favored Black applicants over white ones. Paulino says that she was told only to consider Black candidates because Perry aimed to enhance diversity representation.
However, in a court submission on Wednesday, the company’s attorneys dismissed the allegations as “contradictory and false.”
“She alleges under New York State and New York City law that Defendants both discriminated against her because they preferred white employees but also constructively discharged her because she would not play along with their preference for non-white employees,” the filing reads. “In reality, Plaintiff worked for Sony Music Entertainment for less than five months, performed poorly, and was a willing participant in the entirely legal hiring practices she now alleges were discriminatory. She then voluntarily resigned after receiving unfavorable performance feedback. She seeks now to harass her former employer and boss, who sought only to help her succeed in her job.”
Additionally, Sony argued that Paulino was not effectively terminated; rather, she voluntarily resigned following negative performance evaluations. The company asserted that Paulino filed the lawsuit as a means to harass her former employer and boss, who purportedly aimed to support her success in her role.
The lawsuit followed a significant Supreme Court ruling last year that prohibited the use of race-conscious admissions in higher education. This ruling has sparked heightened scrutiny of corporate initiatives focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Just last week, CBS and Paramount faced a similar lawsuit alleging that their diversity quotas violated the law by discriminating against white men.
