A former executive at Netflix has filed a lawsuit against the company, claiming her bosses were racist and sexist.
Nhu–y Phan, who worked as a labor lawyer for Netflix, sued the streaming service on July 21 for wrongful termination, amongst other things.
Phan alleges that she was fired after complaining about racial discrimination and sexual harassment at the company, according to the lawsuit.
She was hired by Netflix in 2021, at a salary of $400,000 per year, but claims she was wrongfully fired three years later after raising concerns about the behavior of two higher–ups, Ted Sinclair and Jonah Cozien.
Both men were Phan’s former supervisors. She alleges that Sinclair discriminated against women of color, and that Cozien sexually harassed a female colleague.
The lawsuit details how Phan was allegedly denied certain opportunities because of her race, and how Sinclair encouraged white women to take credit for her work.
‘During Mr. Sinclair’s regular biweekly meeting among labor relations staff… Mr. Sinclair encouraged a white employee, Ms. Bell, to take credit for work on prototype contributions to the DGA pension plan – an issue that Ms. Phan had identified and work on for months,’ the suit alleges.
Phan alleges that she and other women of color were denied opportunities that were given to similarly situated white men while working at Netflix.
Nhu-Y Phan, a former executive at Netflix, has filed a lawsuit against the company, claiming her bosses were racist and sexist
Nhu–y Phan, who worked as a labor lawyer for Netflix, sued the streaming service on July 21 for wrongful termination, amongst other things
She complained to HR that her supervisor, Ted Sinclair, engaged in ‘microaggressions and micromanagements’ toward her.
Addressing the sexual harassment allegations, the lawsuit noted that a female colleague of the former Netflix executive confided in her that Cozien – her supervisor at the time – was engaging in conduct that Phan understood to constitute sexual harassment.
Cozien allegedly repeatedly invited Phan’s colleague, Sharon Ellica, to lunch, dinner and drinks outside the office.
The lawsuit also states that Cozien would send Ellica direct messages propositioning her for more outings using Google chat, which at that time had a default setting ensuring messages would be automatically deleted after 24 hours.
‘Ms. Ellica told Ms. Phan that Mr. Cozien’s behavior was ‘weird’ and made her very ‘uncomfortable’,’ the lawsuit stated.
According to the lawsuit, Phan found her boss’s conduct to be highly offensive and she felt intimidated in her presence, causing her great stress and anxiety.
Phan said she felt uncomfortable to be alone with Cozien, and she reported his behavior.
The lawsuit claims that both Cozien and Sinclair retaliated against Phan by providing critical written 360 feedback reports in June 2024.
Phan claims she was wrongfully fired three years later after raising concerns about the behavior of two higher–ups at Netflix, Ted Sinclair and Jonah Cozien
She complained to HR that her supervisor, Ted Sinclair (pictured), engaged in ‘microaggressions and micromanagements’ toward her
Then, the men ‘conspired to have Ms. Phan fired’, and she was ultimately terminated for alleged ‘performance issues’, the suit states.
The lawsuit outlines nine counts in Phan’s complaint: discrimination, harassment, retaliation, failure to remedy/prevent discrimination and harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence and negligent hiring, supervision or retention of an employee.
‘Ms. Phan has been devastated both economically and emotionally by her wrongful discharge,’ the suit claims.
‘Once a highly compensated professional with a sterling reputation, Ms. Phan faces an uphill battle finding comparable employment. The stress and humiliation of her termination, loss of income and damaged reputation have been profound,’ it continues.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Netflix and Phan for comment.
