A month ago, almost to the day, we reported about the BET executive shakeup. We wrote about Stephen Hill’s exit. And then a day later, about Zola Mashariki. Mashariki was the Executive Vice President of original programming at BET until she was fired.
After the news went public, she stepped foward to say that she couldn’t be fired because she was on medical leave at the time of termination.
And there were rumors that Mashariki planned to sue. Not just for firing her while she was on medical leave but for a couple of other reasons as well.
Well, the rumors were true.
Today, The Hollywood Reporter detailed the terms of her lawsuit, which she filed yesterday in California federal court.
The complaint, which you can read in full here, stated:
“The Company fosters a good old boys’ club atmosphere and mentality that are hostile to women and their advancement. This misogynistic culture, which marginalizes, demeans, and undervalues women, begins at the top of the corporate structure.”
Before coming to BET Mashariki worked for Fox Searchlight for 15 years and was behind the film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. She joined BET in 2015 because she said the brand spoke to her as Black woman and offered her the chance to expand the visibility of African Americans.
Then in December 2016, Mashariki was in the early stages of battling breast cancer. Despite her diagnosis, she worked until February 2017, the day of her surgery when she went on medical leave. During her absence, Mashariki was diagnosed with a more aggressive form of cancer that required additional medical leave.
Perhaps most strikingly is the fact that the complaint stated that Mashariki’s former coworker accused her of faking her illness.
“When Ms. Mashariki was at her weakest moment, Viacom, BET, and Defendant Hill escalated their retaliation against her, proffering that due to her disability, she could no longer represent . If Viacom’s and BET’s actions with respect to her leave were not enough, upon information and belief, a senior executive at BET suggested to Ms. Mashariki’s colleagues that she was ‘faking’ her breast cancer. These false and reprehensible statements caused irreparable damage to Ms. Mashariki by suggesting that she was a liar attempting to avoid the duties of her office.”
But Mashariki states that even before her cancer, she experienced discrimination at the company.
“Women are grossly underrepresented in leadership positions at the Company. The executive leadership of the Company is overwhelmingly male. Before Defendant Hill left BET, seven of the ten members of its executive team were men. Viacom has a similar overrepresentation of male executives, as six of the nine members of its senior management team are men. Development opportunities, including roles on critical committees, are routinely offered to male executives rather than their female counterparts.”
Mashariki said, “Hill was a well-known member of the Company’s good old boys’ club. Defendant Hill has been permitted to systematically discriminate against and harass numerous women. He is protected by the Company’s old boys’ club and HR department.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mashariki claimed Hill treated women like “administrative support,” took credit for their work, discouraged them from attending senior-level meetings, and interjected himself into high-profile projects. “For instance, Defendant Hill insisted that he play an onscreen role in one of BET’s shows, compromising the integrity and budget of the show.”
Mashariki says that she and other women, who are not named in the complaint, were required to “perform more work for less pay and lower title” compared to male employees. Meanwhile, Hill was promoted amid allegations that he cost the company millions in revenue.
Mashariki claims that in March 2016, Hill “verbally attacked and threatened Ms. Mashariki when she demonstrated ‘disobedience’ by not immediately forwarding an email that she had not yet opened or reviewed.” When she reported the incident to Human Resources, she found their response to insufficient.
When Mashariki confront Hill about his behavior, she said he “half-heartedly apologized, qualifying that she could have avoided the situation if she had just obeyed him. Following this unremorseful response, Ms. Mashariki again complained to HR and pointed out that Defendant Hill’s apology felt like victim blaming, a common response to women who protest harassment. Ms. Mashariki was particularly concerned because this was not the first time Defendant Hill had tried to intimidate her or other women.”
Weeks later, Human Resources launched an investigation into her management style, a move which Mashariki called “textbook gender discrimination.”
Mashariki also offered a possible explanation for Hill’s exit.
“Defendant Hill announced he was leaving BET on March 29, 2017, while Ms. Mashariki was on leave. Upon information and belief, Defendant’s Hill’s contract was terminated. Between February 9 and March 29, Viacom and BET went from supporting Defendant Hill to terminating him. This is likely because Defendant Hill’s performance suffered when he could no longer appropriate and take credit for Ms. Mashariki’s work while she was on leave, nor could he effectively lead Original Programming without her.”
In the wake of the termination, Mashariki claims that BET released a statement saying that she was let go before of performance issues. It’s a claim Mashariki is now calling defamatory.
According to THR, Mashariki is “asserting violations of gender discrimination, hostile workplace, retaliation, violation of the Family and Medical Leave Act, denial of equal pay for equal work, disparate treatment, failure to prevent harassment under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, defamation, and more. She’s demanding unspecified monetary damages plus a permanent injunction against Viacom and BET from engaging in unlawful practices plus an order requiring the companies to implement programs to remedy a hostile work environment. She also demands to be restored to her rightful position at the company or full back and front pay. She’s represented by attorneys at Sanford Heisler Sharp as well as Medina Orthwein.”
