The former human resources director of the Broad is suing the Los Angeles museum and its former chief operating officer, accusing them of discrimination, retaliation and sexual harassment.
In the lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, former HR director Darron Rezell Walker accuses former COO Alysa Gerlach of pressuring him to fire a white employee, Rick Mitchell, 65, based on personal animus — as well as his age and race. Walker alleges in his suit that Gerlach said she did not want “an old white man” in any director-level position and that Mitchell was a “misogynist” who “makes people uncomfortable.”
After Walker interviewed staff and determined that Mitchell should not be terminated, Gerlach not only fired Mitchell but also fired Walker in retaliation, the lawsuit says. Walker also accuses Gerlach in the suit of creating a hostile work environment by asking inappropriate questions about Walker’s sex life and sharing personal information about her own intimate relationships.
Neither the Broad nor Gerlach responded to requests for comment on Friday.
Walker was employed at the Broad for less than two months, and his quick dismissal last April has “devastated” his reputation, says his attorney, Michelle Iarusso.
“This was a very high-profile position for him,” Iarusso says, adding that Walker had connections in the worlds of art and fashion that intersected with his job at the Broad. “He was very excited to get this position, and he let everybody know. So when he was summarily terminated after a very short time, it was a bomb. It was like they obliterated his career.”
In his lawsuit, Walker alleges that Gerlach was “trying to find a way to fire” Mitchell, who served as the Broad’s director of facilities. Walker diplomatically tried to challenge Gerlach’s comments about Mitchell’s age and race, the lawsuit says. “Gerlach thought that because both of them were persons of color, Walker being African American and Defendant Gerlach being Latina, that her comments were an acceptable form of commiseration shared between people of color,” the suit says.
According to the lawsuit, Mitchell had raised questions in a meeting about whether the physical limitations of his staff members, including women and a person with a disability, would prevent them from moving staging equipment used in museum events. Some staff members perceived the comments as discriminatory, the suit says. But over several weeks, Walker conducted interviews with Mitchell’s co-workers and subordinates, who “painted a clear picture of Mitchell being revered as a supportive and well-respected manager,” the suit says. “In particular, women under his supervision expressed appreciation for his fairness and leadership. Not one person corroborated any claims of discriminatory or misogynistic behavior.”
Gerlach was not pleased with the results of Walker’s investigation, the lawsuit alleges, and moved forward with plans to terminate Mitchell. As the HR director, Walker worried that the action would be “exposing the museum to significant legal and reputational risks, all occurring on Walker’s watch, to somehow be unfairly attributed to him.”
As she moved forward with her plan, the lawsuit alleges, Gerlach forbade Mitchell from talking with her superior, Broad founding director Joanne Heyler, unless Gerlach was present.
When Walker submitted his report rejecting Gerlach’s accusations against Mitchell, the lawsuit says, Walker faced “immediate and escalating hostility.”
Eleven days after Mitchell was fired, Gerlach fired Walker on speakerphone while other staff members were present in Walker’s office, the lawsuit says, causing “substantial humiliation and embarrassment.”
The lawsuit accuses the Broad of failing to take “reasonable steps to prevent retaliation and wrongful termination against Walker who opposed discrimination in the workplace.” It also alleges a hostile work environment created by Gerlach, whom Walker accuses of asking about romantic and sexual partners.
Walker, who is gay, alleges that Gerlach “frequently expressed curiosity about topics related to gay sexual activity.”
Gerlach’s LinkedIn profile indicates she left the Broad in September. Neither she nor the museum could be reached for comment on the circumstances of her departure.
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