The New York Times has filed a countersuit against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) after the agency accused the newspaper of discriminating against a white male employee in a promotion decision.
The EEOC sued the Times in May, alleging the newspaper used Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) hiring practices that favored women and minority candidates in violation of federal civil rights law.
The agency is seeking to block the company from continuing these policies and is also seeking damages on the employee’s behalf.
According to the EEOC’s complaint, veteran editor Bryant Rousseau was denied a promotion to deputy real estate editor in favor of a multiracial woman who lacked his experience covering real estate.
The agency also alleges that none of the four finalists for the position were white men.
In a countersuit filed Friday in federal court in New York, the Times accused the EEOC of targeting the newspaper in retaliation for its reporting on the agency.
“The Commission markedly deviated from its ordinary practices in almost every respect to file the flimsiest of lawsuits against The Times, a frequent target of the administration, on the heels of investigative reporting that brought to light scathing bipartisan criticism of the EEOC, its leadership, and its priorities from both inside and outside the Commission,” the complaint states.
Hellbound and Down 