A Black former social media manager employee has tentatively settled her lawsuit against Jennifer Hudson’s production company in which she alleged she was forced to quit earlier this year due to racial and disability discrimination.
Attorneys for Falon Hardy filed court papers on Wednesday with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Thomas D. Long notifying him of the “conditional” accord with the expectation a request for dismissal will be filed by Dec. 11. No terms were divulged.
Hardy filed the suit May 14, naming as defendants JHUD Productions Inc., Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. and other entities and individuals, but not the 43-year-old Hudson. Hardy says she was hired in July 2022 and that she helped grow the “Jennifer Hudson Show’s” followers on social media to more than 12 million.
A Warner Bros. representative could not be immediately reached for comment.
The 28-year-old plaintiff is deaf in one ear and despite multiple requests for reasonable accommodations, including written instructions and closed-door meetings, she was denied accommodations and her disability was used her in job evaluations, the suit stated.
In 2024, a driver for KLS Worldwide, a transportation provider retained by the defendants, used racial slurs in her presence, the suit states. Hardy reported what happened to field producers and senior executives, but no action was taken, “reflecting a clear and deliberate indifference to racial harassment in the workplace,” the suit further stated.
Hardy’s complaints prompted retaliation from her supervisors as she was given her first-ever performance-improvement plan, according to the suit, which further stated that she could no longer tolerate the conditions when she quit on March 18.
“Their persistent discrimination, harassment and retaliation created an intolerable work environment,” the suit stated.