Two former Hot 107.9 employees file lawsuit regarding wages, gender discrimination, and claims of sexual harassment.
What We Know:
- Two women, former employees at Urban One filed lawsuits against the company over unpaid time. Urban One is the entity that represents Atlanta hip-hop station, 107.9.
- The women allege that they were sexually harassessed at the hands of former Radio One Atlanta vice president of programming “Hurricane” Dave Smith. Smith was fired last August after a previous lawsuit was filed against him alleging that he sexually assaulted and harassed a former female employee. Smith countered that with a defamation lawsuit of his own.
- The plaintiffs have been identified as Desiree Lucas and Dominique Hinton, who were hired with Urban One for separate jobs. Lucas was hired as a production assistant and Hinton joined the station as a production assistant and board operator that same year.
- The lawsuit noted that the above jobs are hourly based salaries. Lucas and Hinton both say that they worked overtime but did not receive overtime pay of time and a half. The women believe that men who held the same positions made more than them.
- Both women also filed sexual discrimination and retaliation suits with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2018.
- After Hinton denied Smith’s advances, her hours started to decrease and she was ultimately fired with claims that she uploaded an incorrect file to the Rickey Smiley Morning Show. Desptie these claims, she believes her computer was tampered with.
- Lucas is presently employed with the company, but was denied a promotion for another station at Urban One and her Facebook live show was cancelled.
- Urban One provided the following statement: “We are aware of the claims filed in November 2019 by Ms. Hinton and Ms. Lucas. Urban One does not comment on the specifics of ongoing litigation, however we deny all allegations, and intend to put forward a vigorous defense.”
Smith did not respond for comment.
