One of several discrimination lawsuits and complaints file by security cast members at Walt Disney World is set to go to trial this summer, while a similar suit is pending.
Security guard Camelia Joseph, a black Haitian woman whose lawsuit is schedule to hit courts this summer, claims that in 2010 she applied for an emergency coordination position, but the job went to a white man that had less experience and education. The lawsuit also alleges that Joseph was reprimanded and “subjected to intense scrutiny on the job” after complaining to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
The other pending lawsuit was filed by Nabil Baromi, who is Moroccan and Muslim. Baromi claims that he was fired in 2013 for “using electronic devices” while monitoring security cameras, while other workers were not fired for the same behavior.
Baromi’s lawsuit also says that Arabic patrons were treated with greater suspicion and that officers were told to watch black customers “because they committed a lot of retail theft.” Disney has denied both of those allegations in court documents.
In all, six former and current cast members working in security have filed lawsuits from 2011 to 2014 saying there was discrimination based on race, religion or national origin. Three of those lawsuits were dismissed by the plaintiffs, while the jury ruled against one of the plaintiffs.
According to Joseph W. Little, professor emeritus at the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law, that many lawsuits from one department “sounds to me like a relatively large number.”
Disney has denied all of the claims, adding in a written statement from spokesperson Kim Prunty, “We have a rigorous process in place to thoroughly and independently review any and all workplace issues. These lawsuits are baseless and without merit.”
