A judge Wednesday granted a motion by a former director of business and legal affairs at FremantleMedia North America Inc. to expand his lawsuit against the media company, in which he alleges he was wrongfully terminated because of his age and replaced with a younger worker after being told by a boss she needed “a machine.”
Brian Hawk’s Los Angeles Superior Court original lawsuit allegations were for discrimination, harassment, whistleblower retaliation, failure to prevent discrimination, harassment or retaliation, breach of contract and intentional infliction of emotional distress. On Wednesday, Judge Dean J. Kitchens granted Hawk’s unopposed motion to add causes of action for discrimination and harassment on the basis of sex and gender.
Kitchens gave Hawk 10 days to file the revised complaint.
Fremantle is a British television and production company that has distributed American game shows locally in the U.S. and worldwide. In a motion set for hearing June 23, Fremantle attorneys argue that Hawk is bound by a November 2019 employment agreement to take his claims before an arbitrator rather than a jury.
According to the plaintiff’s attorneys’ court papers, in March they learned that the plaintiff was not terminated due to a reduction in the work force as he was told, but that he was instead replaced and that the new employee was a young female. Hawk’s lawyers said the new information and the amendment of their client’s lawsuit are important to their argument that the case should not be sent to arbitration.
Hawk was hired in October 2019. He is more than 40 years old, but the suit does not state his precise age at the time of his 2024 termination.
Hawk was assigned a new supervisor in October 2021 who regularly commented that she preferred younger workers, the suit states.
“These comments ostracized Hawk and made him feel unwelcome in the workplace,” the suit originally filed Jan. 15 states.
Two years later, the supervisor prevented Hawk and his team from attending an international business affairs and legal conference, further leading the plaintiff — the oldest member of his team — to believe his presence on the job was not appreciated, the suit states.
A few months later, a memo was sent out that, by its description of Hawk’s job duties, appeared to be a demotion, the suit states. A “shocked” Hawk inquired with a human resources representative to find out why, but got no answer, so he then questioned his supervisor, who also was dismissive of his inquiry, according to the suit.
A new supervisor assigned to oversee Hawk in November 2023 micromanaged him and limited his job duties while also showing kinder treatment to younger workers, the suit alleges.
Before he was terminated in March 2024, yet another supervisor told Hawk that she needed “a machine,” which he believed alluded to her belief he was unable to work as fast as more youthful employees, the suit states.