A former production worker on the game show “Let’s Make a Deal” sued Fremantle Productions North America Inc. Friday, alleging he was retaliated against in the workplace and terminated because he converted to Buddhism and also raised concerns about unsafe working conditions.
Britton Courtney’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit allegations include wrongful termination, religious discrimination and harassment, retaliation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and various state Labor Code violations. Courtney seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
A Fremantle representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Courtney, 50, was hired in December 2020 as a warehouse assistant for the “Let’s Make a Deal” production and converted to Buddhism about four years later.
One Fremantle manager said, “We want the old Britton back,” signaling what the plaintiff believed was a hostility or aversion to his new religious identity and the values associated with it, according to the complaint.
That same year, he spoke out about safety, including the warehouse being overcrowded with equipment and prize merchandise, leaving dangerously narrow aisles that did not meet basic safety standards for operating forklifts or other machinery, the suit states. In addition, forklifts and other heavy machinery were not being properly inspected or maintained, the suit alleges.
Courtney also believed he was not being paid in accordance with a union contract, the suit further states. In response to his complaints, management told him to take time off to “reflect on his actions,” according to the suit, which further states that he was later told the forced time off was due to his tardiness and absenteeism.
“Mr. Courtney was taken aback by these claims” and it became clear that the real reason for his involuntary time off was his complaints about workplace safety, the suit states.
Courtney returned to work in January and was subjected to increased management scrutiny, but he continued to speak out and sent an email about his concerns to “higher-ups,” the suit states.
“He further stated that he felt he was being targeted for his religious beliefs, referencing the fact that management seemed uncomfortable with his Buddhist-driven outlook and had made dismissive comments about it,” the suit further states.
On Jan. 31, the same day he sent management an email regarding his concerns about alleged discrepancies in his wages given the union contract, Courtney was terminated, the suit states. The suit further states that supervisors used the excuse that the forks on a forklift had damaged a prize several days earlier as an excuse to strip him of his job.
Courtney has suffered lost earnings and emotional distress since losing his job, the suit alleges.