White Employee Sues Verizon After He’s Caught Using “N-Word” While Discussing DMX on Company Phone

A Caucasian man named Peter Kelly is suing Verizon for wrongful termination. Kelly, who worked for the company for more than 20 years, alleges management fired him in May 2021 for using the word “n-gga” while discussing DMX on a company phone. {snip}

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{snip} Kelly says on April 6, 2021—three days before DMX died—he took a personal call while on his lunch break.

“In discussing DMX’s music Plaintiff used the word ‘n####,’ which is a word commonly used by the artist himself in his lyrics,” the docs read. “Unbeknownst to Plaintiff, he had inadvertently answered a call on his company cellular phone, and a Verizon employee who listened to his private call for approximately forty-five seconds overheard him say the word ‘n-gga.’”

{snip}  He was fired less than a month later for “for violating Verizon’s discrimination and harassment policy.” Kelly and his attorney argue, “Despite this alleged zero-tolerance policy, certain employees routinely use words like ‘b####,’ ‘c###,’ ‘n-gger,’ ‘n-gga’ and ‘s###’ in the workplace.

“Such language is used in the presence of management-level employees, yet when it is used by a female employee, an African American employee, and/or a Hispanic employee, none is reprimanded or disciplined in any way.”

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