“Central Park Karen” Sues Former Employer Over Firing

Bloomberg News reports:

Franklin Templeton characterized a former employee as “racist” for calling the police on a Black birdwatcher whom she had words with while walking her dog in Central Park, publicized the incident on Twitter, and falsely claimed it conducted an investigation before firing her, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan.

Amy Cooper said the May 25, 2020, incident was spurred by her fear of the birdwatcher, Christian Cooper, who she says had a history of “aggressively confronting” dog owners for walking their dogs off-leash.

He similarly initiated the dispute with her in the same aggressive manner while she was walking her dog alone, causing her “to reasonably fear” for the safety of her and her pet, Cooper said.

Read the full article. In February, a judge dismissed the charges against Cooper, saying that prosecutors were satisfied with her participation in a program meant to have her take responsibility for the incident. In October 2020, it was revealed that Cooper had actually made two 911 calls about the bird-watcher, an openly gay man who previously said that she’s been punished enough and that he would not take part in a case against her. In the second call, Cooper reportedly claimed the man “tried to assault” her. I’m betting the bird-watcher feels differently about her now.

The White woman who called the cops on a Black birdwatcher in Central Park in 2020 is suing her former employer for branding her as a racist. https://t.co/4BtC8hCKyI

— Bloomberg Law (@BLaw) May 26, 2021