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CBS News
a day ago
- Sport
- CBS News
Former Chicago Blackhawks PR manager sues team for discrimination, wrongful termination
A former Chicago Blackhawks public relations manager has filed a lawsuit against the team, accusing a supervisor of discriminating against him because he is gay, and firing him over an interview with an LGBTQ+ sports website. Anthony Filomena filed the civil rights lawsuit on Thursday in federal court in Chicago, accusing his supervisor of "treating [Filomena] differently than other similarly situated employees he supervised, discriminating against him because he was a homosexual male." Filomena also claims when he filed a complaint with the team's human resources department accusing his supervisor of "hostile and aggressive actions," his supervisor retaliated against him by increasing his hostile actions, and "yelling and berating" Filomena in his office loud enough for others to hear. The lawsuit claims Filomena was fired from his position as manager of public relations on May 3, 2024, after complaining to his supervisor that he was being criticized for giving an interview to Outsports, a website covering LGBTQ+ athletes and issues in sports, "to share his experiences as being a homosexual male in the world of a professional hockey organization." According to the lawsuit, Filomena had received direct approval from team owner Danny Wirtz before the interview, and that Wirtz believed it would help the team's reputation in the LGBTQ+ community. Filomena's lawsuit claims he was fired one day after he told his supervisor subsequent criticism he faced from other bosses inside the organization was a result of discrimination based on his sexual orientation. A termination letter claimed he lacked authorization for his interview with Outsports, "an assertion that was false and pretextual," according to the lawsuit. "I was fired for something I can't change, and I didn't do anything wrong, and I know that. Someone just tells you, follow me, and you're gone. Get out. Everything you've done for two years, all the friendships you've made, all the relationships around this city you built. [They] don't care. They used me to get in the door with so many connections around this city," Filomena said in an interview with CBS News Chicago before filing his lawsuit. In a statement, the Blackhawks claimed Filomena was fired for "multiple instances of misconduct over a period of six months." He received multiple written communications outlining expectations including a formal, final written warning prior to his dismissal. His termination was solely due to continued misconduct and disregard for our company policies," the team said. But the lawsuit claimed Filomena received a perfect rating on a performance review one month before he was fired, and said the team's allegations of misconduct and poor performance were "fabricated, exaggerated, or not the actual basis for the decision." Filomena's lawsuit seeks compensation for back pay with interest, lost benefits and future pay, attorneys' fees, and compensatory and punitive damages. It also claims his firing has caused Filomena to suffer "mental anguish, emotional distress, humiliation, and loss of enjoyment of life." "Where do I go from here? For two years, I was the publicist for the Blackhawks around this entire town, and now I'm just struggling to make ends meet and make sure that I don't lose my apartment and my dogs. I'm a grown 33-year-old man that put myself through college and everything on my own, and now I have to think about what I'm doing now. I shouldn't have to think that. I shouldn't have to be scared for my livelihood on a daily basis," Filomena told CBS News Assad contributed to this report.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Former employee sues Blackhawks, alleging discrimination, wrongful termination
A former Chicago Blackhawks employee is suing the team for discrimination and retaliation, alleging he was treated differently by his supervisor for being gay, and then wrongfully fired shortly after being interviewed by Outsports, a website covering LGBTQ+ issues and individuals in sports. The lawsuit, filed Thursday on behalf of Anthony Filomena, said the Blackhawks' former manager of public relations dealt with 'hostile and aggressive actions' from his supervisor, who was hired about a year into Filomena's two-year stint with the Blackhawks. It then states that Filomena was fired one day after complaining to his supervisor that he was being unfairly criticized for his interview with Outsports, an interview for which Filomena said he had direct approval from team chairman and owner Danny Wirtz. Advertisement Outsports published the interview on April 29, 2024. Three days later, the lawsuit alleges, Filomena was criticized by another senior employee, who told him the department 'was very angry about it.' Filomena said he requested permission from Wirtz in a text message earlier in the month after Outsports reached out to him, and that Wirtz approved, stating the article would boost the team's reputation in the LGBTQ+ community. The suit says Filomena then told his supervisor that he believed the criticism stemmed from 'discrimination based on (Filomena's) sexual orientation.' The next day, May 3, 2024, Filomena was fired. The lawsuit says that Filomena had a 'perfect rating' on his performance review a month earlier, and that he 'met or exceeded performance expectations.' In response to the lawsuit, the Blackhawks said Filomena was fired for other reasons. 'Mr. Filomena was terminated for cause due to multiple instances of misconduct over a period of six months,' the Blackhawks wrote in a statement. 'He received multiple written communications outlining expectations including a formal, final written warning prior to his dismissal. His termination was solely due to continued misconduct and disregard for our company policies.' The lawsuit argues the team's 'stated reasons for termination — alleged policy violations and performance deficiencies — were either fabricated, exaggerated, or not the actual basis for the decision.' 'The proximity between (Filomena's) complaint about discrimination and his termination is direct evidence of retaliation,' the lawsuit alleges. Filomena's lawsuit alleges that other employees who were not openly gay, 'who engaged in comparable conduct, were not terminated.' He is suing for back pay with interest, front pay, lost benefits, attorneys' fees, and compensatory and punitive damages. The situation, the suit says, has caused Filomena mental anguish, emotional distress, humiliation, degradation and loss of enjoyment of life. Advertisement The suit was filed in the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. A former Blackhawks player, identified as John Doe, is also suing the team for its alleged failure to act upon sexual-assault allegations against former video coach Brad Aldrich during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. The team previously settled a high-profile lawsuit from former player Kyle Beach, who alleged Aldrich sexually assaulted him during the 2010 playoffs. Wirtz and the Chicago Blackhawks Foundation are being sued by a former independent contractor as well, who has accused them of breach of oral contract, fraud and violating the Gender Violence Act, among other counts. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
