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Natasha Tynes (Photo: Photo courtesy of Hawgood, Hawgood & Moran LLP)
US-Jordanian author Natasha Tynes sues book publisher Rare Bird Lit. Inc., for over $ 13 million in damages, alleging that the company had defamed and violated a publication contract in the midst of a shameful social media scandal in May.
The incident essentially deprived Tynes of a sales contract, was put on leave and hospitalized for various reasons, including suicidal ideation, according to a lawsuit this week in the California Superior Court in Los Angeles County.
Many social media have viewed Tynes 'actions as an unjustified tattletale attack on a person of color, a position Rare Bird has conjured up in a tweet announcing his intention to withdraw from his role in Tynes' next novel, "They Called Wyatt ".
This statement paved the way for widespread media coverage that has ruined Tynes' reputation, according to the lawsuit.
May 11th: The author is accused of shaming a black Metro employee for eating in a stopped book agreement train
Tynes' complaint describes her position: That Rare Bird, "an entirely white society," improperly painted her, a "colored immigrant", as being racist and benefited from the public's negative reaction.
The quickly inaccessible tweet that sparked the controversy was published in a Washington Post report. It contained a picture of a subway employee and read in part: "I thought we were not allowed to eat on the train, that is unacceptable." Hope @ wmata responds, when I interviewed the employee at that time. subject, she replied "worry about you. . & # 39; "
Tynes' complaint contends that this context shows that she had no racist motivation.
"Natasha has denounced the scourge of racism and bigotry and has been subjected to racism over the years because of her Jordanian heritage and her strong accent," the lawsuit says.
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She's an award-winning author, mother, and activist who was sued before an Egyptian government for her work in defense of "freedom of expression and a free press," says the trial. .
February 13th: Jetstar passenger accuses flight attendant of "shaming" him for wearing a short top
Tynes "promptly deleted the tweet" and attempted to ensure that the photographed employee would not suffer any repercussions, the trial said. She did not think that the employee was identifiable in the photo and also thought that no employment action could ever be brought against a unionized transit employee for such a minor incident.
The lawsuit argues that initially, a representative of Rare Bird did not object to his explanation: "Having not grown up in the United States, the race issue did not arise. not even asked, "according to Tynes.
But a subsequent public statement on Twitter by Rare Bird described his actions as "really horrible" and said that "black women face a constant barrage of this kind of inappropriate behavior directed against them and constant monitoring of their bodies".
The complaint indicates that Tynes faced death threats and harassment on social media and – fearing for its safety – left the country temporarily. At the same time, Rare Bird has benefited from generally positive reactions on social media and gained valuable visibility from the public, the lawsuit says.
January 9th: Doping a 90-year-old racer, anti-doping wins a black eye
While Tynes was "hospitalized for chest pain, high blood pressure, hyperventilation, tremors and suicidal ideation," Rare Bird's representatives made repeated contact with her and her family about their condition. intent to stand out from the planned publication of his next book, the lawsuit says.
The United States today, at the request of a representative of Rare Bird, was not immediately fired.
Tynes Attorney William Moran of Hawgood Law Firm Hawgood & Moran LLP said:
Natasha Tynes was accused falsely and maliciously of being a racist and threatening the physical safety of a black woman by a publisher who knew better. A few hours ago, the publisher was well aware of the fact that my client had implored WMATA not to discipline the employee and had told him that "we had your back". Well, my client still has the knife coming out of his back. I have never seen a publisher throw one of their authors under the bus in this manner and knowingly destroy their lives under false pretenses.
A few days later, while she was under medical treatment, the publisher forcefully attempted to make her waive her rights.
My client has been wronged and we hope to win in this case.
Read or share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2019/06/08/natasha-tynes-sues-rare-bird-its-actions-metro-shaming-scandal/1395567001/
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