Disney units sued Lion King tour actor for paternity-leave discrimination
(Reuters) – An actor who was fired from The Lion King’s North American Touring Production on his first day of paternity leave sued two Disney units, accusing them of violating the New York State and City Human Rights Laws.
William James Jr, an ensemble player and understudy for the leading role of Mufasa for nearly three years, alleged in a complaint filed Thursday that he was also fired “in part” in retaliation for complaining about “bullying” behavior and “unwelcome advances” by the production’s director.
The company told James that it had investigated his harassment claims and found them baseless, but he accuses it of “sweeping (his) complaints under the rug” and of firing him “in the most callous way at the most unreasonable time” in order to send a message to other employees.
The “clear message” was “to not engage in protected activity and to not seek paternity leave at the Lion King Production,” James’s attorneys at Phillips & Associates wrote in the complaint filed in state Supreme Court in New York County.
Representatives of Disney and Disney Theatrical Group did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday. James is suing DTG, its immediate parent company Disney Studios Content, and several individuals, including Ameenah Kaplan (Tour Production Director), who didn’t immediately respond to a request Friday for comment.
According to the complaint James joined North American tour in 2017. In 2018, Kaplan became the director.
James says Kaplan began “unreasonably” berating him in February 2019 and threatening to limit his lucrative main-role performances, while also flirting and inviting him out for drinks. His complaints to Employee Relations and several managers throughout the year proved futile, leading Kaplan to publicly “taunt” him that December and provoke an argument for which James alone was reprimanded, he alleges.
James was part of the tour until March 9, 2020 when he took paternity leaves. The production’s general manager called him that same day to terminate his contract without giving any reason, James says. (The Covid-19 pandemic led to the tour being canceled three days later.
James says he filed a grievance with his union, which investigated and deemed his claims “corroborated,” but DTG refused to rehire him when the tour resumed in October 2021.
Another man’s paternity-leave lawsuit against Disney Streaming Services made headlines in 2020, when a federal judge in Manhattan ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not protect expectant fathers against pregnancy discrimination. However, James’ lawsuit is based solely on state and city law and does not include a Title VII claim.
The case is William James Jr. 159201/2022.
For James: Gregory Calliste Jr and Alexandria Jean Pierre of Phillips & Associates
For Disney Studios Content et al: No attorney information available
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