Former Philly Anchorman Loses 'N-Word' Lawsuit

A former anchorman for Fox29 News in Philadelphia who says he was wrongfully terminated for using the “n-word” during a staff meeting in 2007 has lost his lawsuit against the network, the Philadelphia Daily News reports.

Tom Burlington alleged he was racially discriminated against when he was fired in 2007. Burlington’s civil complaint said that other station employees used the same word without rebuke.

But Lawyers representing Fox29 argued that Burlington’s termination was not a race-based decision, but one made in response to Burlington’s poor judgment in using the full word, which caused immediate friction among the staff.

The Daily News said an all-white jury made its decision after less than three hours of deliberation Monday.

Burlington, in his lawsuit, said he has been unable to find work in the news business since the incident and surrounding publicity costing him more than $3 million in lost income. He now works for a Main Line real estate agency.

According to court records, Burlington was present during a review of a field piece on a mock funeral of the word held by the Philadelphia Youth Council of the NAACP. Video from the event showed the word being used more than 100 times, and Burlington asked if they would use the full word during the broadcast.

After staff complaints, allegedly led by anchorwoman Joyce Evans, who was not present at the meeting, Burlington was suspended, then fired after word of the incident leaked to media outlets, according to Philly.com.

Burlington’s complaint said that other African American employees at the station used the full term in meetings and suffered no consequences, creating a double standard that led to his termination.