White Woman Sues Former Employer For Firing Her Over Racial Remarks

Amy Cooper fired: She was called out last year for the racist actions that were caught on camera. Cooper has recently sued her former employer for firing her, claiming that she is a victim of racial discrimination.

Cooper filed the lawsuit this week against the investment firm Franklin Templeton, which fired her a year ago after she was captured on the viral video, showing the tense encounter with a Black bird-watcher, Christian Cooper.

The viral video was captured in a Park in New York. The dispute between the two started when Christian Cooper asked Amy Cooper to leash her dog, as per the park rules. However, she refused to leash her dog and threatened of calling the police on Christian Cooper.

"I’m going to tell them (the police) there’s an African American man threatening my life," Cooper warned the victim before dialling 911. She repeatedly quoted "African American" while she complained to the operator.

The video was taken to Twitter by Christian cooper's sister and it gained over 45 million views. Netizens called out on Amy Cooper's racist behaviours and remarks by tweeting their replies in support of Christian Cooper.

Oh, when Karens take a walk with their dogs off leash in the famous Bramble in NY’s Central Park, where it is clearly posted on signs that dogs MUST be leashed at all times, and someone like my brother (an avid birder) politely asks her to put her dog on the leash. pic.twitter.com/3YnzuATsDm

— Melody Cooper (@melodyMcooper) May 25, 2020

Amy Cooper Fired For Racism, Sues Her Former Employer

Franklin Templeton initially suspended the alleged, who was head of insurance portfolio management at the firm at that time. She had reportedly held her office there about five years, before being fired.

Amy Cooper, however, argues in her suit that she was not driven by racial animus when she called the police on Christian Cooper.

The lawsuit mentioned that she did not shout at Christian Cooper on May 25, 2020, or call the police from Central Park because she was a racist. Instead, She did these things because she was "alone in the park and frightened to death". She added that Christian Cooper had selected her as a "target" and called him "overzealous."

She further accused Franklin Templeton of not thoroughly investigating the situation because of her own race and gender. Moreover, they effectively reached the decision to terminate her just because she is a white woman.

However, later she apologised for her behaviours, saying that she "reacted emotionally and made false assumptions about his intentions when, in fact, she was the one who was acting inappropriately by not having her dog on a leash".

Nevertheless, the said firm has confirmed that they will stand by their decision and that they believe the circumstances of the situation speak for themselves and that the company responded appropriately.

A Franklin Templeton spokeswoman said in a statement that the company stood by its decision to fire Cooper. Franklin Spokeswoman Stacey Coleman stated, "We will defend against these baseless claims."