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Black Girls Code has embarked on a contentious legal battle with its founder and former CEO.
The nonprofit organization is suing Kimberly Bryant, its former leader, for her alleged “unlawful hijacking” of its website redirecting visitors to a press release titled Save Black Girls Code.
The organization filed the lawsuit on Aug. 22 in California, NBC News reports.
The company’s camp argues Bryant’s “inappropriate actions” followed her termination and removal from its board earlier this month.
“Days after her termination, Bryant caused administrative credentials to be used to hijack BGC’s website… which displayed a self-serving press release that discloses BGC’s confidential and privileged information,” the lawsuit reads.
Bryant claimed the recent allegations against her “are without merit” in a statement she shared with NBC News.
She also said she plans to “vigorously defend herself against them.”
BGC’s new lawsuit comes after Bryant — shortly after she was fired — filed an amended federal lawsuit against the tech company she founded back in 2011.
Breaking Down Bryant’s Lawsuit
Bryant filed her lawsuit against BGC on Aug. 11.
The former founder accuses BGC’s board of defamation, retaliation and being responsible for her wrongful termination.
She alleges board members took hold of a Wells Fargo bank account she opened in 2012 to use for their personal gain.
Speaking on the organization’s board chair with NBC News, Bryant said, “[Heather] Hiles sought to capitalize on BGC’s growth and increased funding for her own personal gain.”
Hiles has vehemently denied Bryant’s claims and posted a lengthy LinkedIn post titled Setting the Record Straight on Aug. 25.
“I believe the actions that were taken with respect to Ms. Bryant were appropriate and necessary to responsibly protect Black Girls Code and its mission,” wrote Hiles in part. “I also believe Ms. Bryant’s ongoing actions since her termination, which are knowingly causing harm to the organization that she built, demonstrate a lack of judgment, and validate the decisions I made as a member of the board.”
“I am disappointed that Ms. Bryant has felt the need to attack me by making such false and outrageous claims, and I would have preferred for this to not become personal and rise to a level that is causing harm to BGC. I hope that the organization will soon be able to move past these issues and restore its full focus on why it was founded in the first place,” Hiles added elsewhere in the statement.
It’s reported Bryant is seeking unspecified compensatory damages, to be reinstated as CEO and a board member and that BGC’s standing board members are removed.
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