Barbi Bassett struck out in federal court Monday after U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan, III dismissed her lawsuit against her former employer, WLBT. WLBT fired the popular weatherwoman in 2022 after she said "grandmammy" and "fo shizzle my nizzle" on the air in six months.
 |
| Credit: Vicksburg Daily News |
Ms. Bassett sued Gray Media, owner of WLBT, in December 2023, alleging racial discrimination and an enforcement of an illegal non-compete clause. She claimed WLBT would not have fired a black employee who made the same statements on the air.
Gray Media asked Judge Jordan to throw out Ms. Bassett's lawsuit in a motion for summary judgment. The company argued:
Defendant denies Plaintiff’s allegations of race and age discrimination and asserts that it made the decision to terminate her employment after she twice used racially offensive language on air during her broadcasts. Both parties engaged in full discovery, the result of which is that the undisputed facts clearly demonstrate that no reasonable juror could find in Plaintiff’s favor.
According to WLBT, it “discharged Plaintiff because she used racially offensive language on-air—twice.” ..... Bassett argued during the hearing that this reason is not race-neutral because a Black reporter would not have been disciplined for saying the same thing. As discussed in the next section, that argument is not supported. Regardless, there is no dispute Bassett’s comments generated complaints...
If a plaintiff attempts to meet this ultimate burden under the pretext alternative to the modified approach, she must “produce substantial evidence indicating that the proffered legitimate nondiscriminatory reason is a pretext for discrimination.”....
Bassett has never identified a comparator, so she cannot prevail under the disparate treatment approach....
There is simply no evidence suggesting that a Black anchor would not have been disciplined for using (on air) a term people perceive to be the equivalent of the “N word,” especially six months after generating complaints for using another term that offended viewers and coworkers....
Bassett is therefore left with her subjective belief that a Black anchor would have been treated better. But “an employee’s subjective belief of discrimination, however genuine, cannot be the basis of judicial relief.”...
In short, Bassett offers “no evidence that [WLBT] did not reasonably believe [she] had committed these infractions.”.....
WLBT’s attempt to replace Bassett with another White journalist diminishes the extent to which her prima facie case supports finding a racial motivation for the termination decision.
Ms. Bassett argued there was a double standard in place after General Manager Dan Modisett said there are "some things black people can say that white people can't say." However, the Court said the rest of his statement in deposition gave context to what he said:
But the context of the answer matters.... As WLBT notes, Bassett omits the next lines from that same deposition:
Q. Okay. And so far as you know—I mean, I know you didn’t even know what the phrase meant yourself at the time, but so far as you know now is it offensive or—is it something that black people can’t say or is it just something that white people can’t say?
A. I think it depends on the circumstances and the situation. It’s certainly not something you want to say on the air whether you’re black or white, on our television station for sure.
The Court concluding by showing what it thought of Ms. Bassett's lawsuit:
In sum, Bassett has presented a weak prima facie case, has offered no comparators, and has not otherwise created a fact question whether race motivated the decision to end her employment. Under the circumstances, WLBT is entitled to summary judgment on her Title VII claim.
Ms. Bassett also wanted the Court to declare her non-compete clause null and void. However, Judge Jordan held the issue was moot since the clause had expired.
Attorneys Jim and Rachel Waide represented Ms. Bassett.
.jpg)
Synopsis of Case
Ms. Bassett began her tenure at WLBT in 1999, where she quickly zoomed to popularity as the most popular "weatherman" in Mississippi. After many years of appearing as the "weather gal", she moved over to the anchor desk at WLBT.
The weekend of October 28, 2022 was ground-breaking for Jackson as ESPN's College Gameday arrived to cover the Jackson State University-Southern University game at Memorial Stadium. No small affair this was. The little episode posted below occurred during a WLBT live-shot from the stadium as Barbie & company tried to figure out who the ESPN celebrity guest picker would be.
The reporter appeared to be surprised and her colleague at the desk challenged her. Of course, local race-baiters and Facebook "journalists" saw their chance and fired up the masses. Hot diggity DAMN! We got us a racist! Gray Media disciplined its employee for using the word "grandmammy" on the air as she asked a black reporter at the stadium about the secret guest picker.
Mrs. Bassett's complaint states she did not "believe the word "grandmammy" had a racial connotation" but apologized. Indeed, she stated in her response to the motion for summary judgment that "grandmammy" was what she always called her own grandmother. Friends of the accused said they heard her refer to her own grandmother with that word in the past as she grew up in rural Quitman County. Oh, the guest picker was Dallas Cowboys fanatic Stephen A. Smith.
Fast forward to March 8, 2023. The plaintiff states:
On March 8, 2023, Plaintiff was talking with a male news person (on air) about a popular personality, Snoop Dogg, and made the statement “fo shizzle, my nizzle.” Defendant claimed that this comment was inappropriate.
All hell broke loose. The media darling was no longer considered such at WLBT as she was relieved her at WLBT as she was relieved her duties and subsequently terminated. The firing generated no small amount of controversy as the "activists" demanded her head on a platter while black media personalities such as Charlemagne and Whoopi Goldberg said enough was enough as they defended her.
Ms. Basset claimed age and race discrimination took place as she was replaced by a black woman in her early 30's. The 51 year-old plaintiff argued:
Plaintiff believes the television market in which she worked is primarilyAfrican-American. It is likely that Defendant regards being African-American and being young as desirable job requirements, and it is likely Defendant
regards being older (fifty-one (51)) and white as job detriments.
Ms. Bassett sued for actual, compensatory, and punitive damages in U.S. District Court in December 2023. She also asked the Court to dissolve the non-compete agreement.
62 comments:
Coward judges love dismissing claims like the non-compete over timing issues, rather than the merits. Now, some poor soul who just wants to move on from WLBT can't find similar employment elsewhere because WLBT wasn't forced to change its likely overly broad non-compete agreements with its employees.
At least now she has more time to spend with her grand mammie and listening to her beloved hip hop music
Nothing more gratifying than when a racist gets put in their place!
Get to the back of the bus, Barbie!
What happen I taught she had a slam dunk.
That judge is a total p*ssy.
I thought she had a case for a jury to decide so i was wrong.
Get ready for the low IQ closeted ray-sist black people throwing out their 2 cent comments. Y'all know damn well that lady didn't mean anything by it. Patrick Ellis's b!tch azz making them faces. I thought black didn't crack? The fatigue is real...
I called this. I got trashed on by people on this board for predicting this. I asked about pending dispositive motions on the last post! Some people had already awarded her - and her "George Patton" attorney - a gazillion dollar judgment.
Guess same applies to Hizoner Lumuma.
If nothing else, I'm happy Gray Media had to spend a smaill fortune on attorney's fees-
WLBT needs to hire all black employees so this problem will not re-cur.
Somebody got paid off.
Sadly, there are people who look for things to be offended by. This thing was blown way out of proportion. In another post on here I stated I was offended by “Rednecks gonna Redneck.” That is funny, nothing more. Years ago at work, a woman with oriental accent said to me, “if I speak redneck , maybe you understand me” we laughed and went on about work. A bit later she called me back to her floor. She came to me apologizing profoundly, saying she didn’t mean to offend me. A black woman, a friend of mine, had heard her say that, and told her that was a very offensive thing to say. I explained to both of them it was NOT offensive, it was quite funny. We all laughed and learned a lil something that day. What is, is what is. We all need to lighten up a bit. I don’t believe Barbie Bassett meant anything offensive, it was selectively taken that way.
@1:35 Judge Daniel P. Jordan, III is no pu&$y. You might want to do a little research before posting.
Just greasing the wheels for the dismissal of the Jody Owen’s/ Chochway Lubumba charges next spring.
The fix was in. She should have prevailed.
I don’t believe Barbie is a racist. I think she was just trying to sound “hip” and fell flat. WLBT could have handled this a lot better.
Sorry for Barbie...the haters at WLBT won...F them.
Steve Gaines commented: "They beat the pants off Barbie."
2:41, no they didn't. That is an insult to Judge Jordan.
2:41 for today's win.
@2:42 (2) Calling Asians “oriental” is racist af. But your entire story sounds like a boomer fantasy TV script. Are you sure everyone didn’t clap at the end? I seriously doubt anything you said actually happened.
I didn't think she was racist at all........just fuk'n stupid!!!!! Her 15 minutes was over the first time she appeared on camera all those yrs ago. She wasn't special then and sure as hell isn't special now!
I don’t think she’s particularly racist, just pretty dumb - she had a good run and made a decent amount of money for an idiot, she should just call that a win. But then again, dumb…
@3:00 PM Yep. KF will probably have a dang aneurysm when Lumumba defeats him yet again.
Jordan was only being even handed and made a fair ruling. To base a discrimination case on the assumption that a person of the other race would have been treated differently is a tall mountain to climb. The plaintiff must show real discrimination not just an assumption based just on outside behavior of other people. The knife cuts both ways or it is not fair. She was probably right but her case was weak.
Agree 1000%
Now the only thing left to do is to continue boycotting WLBT.
Good post ! Funny as well
4pm…actually a true account. Whether you believe it or not is up to you.
And you Kina proved my point. I used the word oriental as descriptive, not offensive or racist. You chose to take it as offensive.
She made the mistake of believing civil rights law would protect a white person.
Gray Media likely spent very little. Insurance covered it.
5:55, "stupidity" doesn't fall under civil rights protection. Her dumb country girl goody-goody persona just doesn't carry much weight anymore
Another poor rich person with an axe to grind. I love the USA and the court’s ability asa BS screen.
4:00, no one called anyone oriental. The reference was concerning an accent you would hear in the orient. You must be one of the snowflake bedwetters who was offended by Barbie.
2:41, there's a thing called PREDATORY OUTRAGE (also known as OUTRAGE FOR PROFIT). The allegedly-outraged party stands to gain something from being offended, and from pointing-out that his/her/their Victim has deviated from some orthodoxy, through his/her/their words, actions, or appearance. In this case, the Orthodoxy has been insinuated into our society by World Communism (which has been at it since the time of the Russian Revolution - finding vulnerable-but-prominent types, and recruiting them as useful idiots, who'll parrot the Kremlin's dicta).
And how sweet of you, 4:00PM, to drop by, offering a nice little example of Predatory Outrage. Are you even in North America? Are you being paid, or are you a jailed dissident? There is nothing "racist" about calling someone Oriental, except that some orthodoxy has decreed that it is. Mississippians (and you clearly are NOT one) have, for centuries REVERED things Oriental: Oriental art, Oriental Rugs, paintings of the Orientalist genre. An old saying, which most Middle Class women in Mississippi knew, went, "Every room needs something black, something red, and something Oriental."
Imports from the Orient, were prized possessions in American homes, long before the founding of our nation. And any Mississippi family of substance, has had books of Oriental art, for generations. Frankly, because of our exposure to the finest Chinese paintings, we tend to prefer the Experientialist perspective in old Chinese paintings and screens, to the two-point Italian Renaissance perspective employed in European art.
Prized family pictures, in Mississippi, often are of great-grandmothers, decked-out in Jean Patou Orientalist 1920s French fashions (which the great grandmothers had often made, themselves, from patterns - or from mere illustrations - passed-around for years - Mississippians being desperately poor, back then). Far from an insult, being called 'Oriental', was being PRAISED.
The decree that 'Oriental' is a slur word, has no more legitimacy, than does the decree, by Donatella Versace, that "Neckties are dead!" (One glance at Donatella, and you'll see she had no business telling anyone about anything. Nonetheless, senile farts across the world, just because someone DECREED it, have been running around looking like total jackasses, in suits without neckties).
I'm Choctaw, and when people tell me I look Oriental, my impulse is to HUG them. (and considering how much Jade I own, and the fact that I do not depart from my 'Graduated Bob' hairstyle, the impression is not accidental)
Anyone who is offended by the term "oriental" is truly a woke snowflake.
Barbie is just an entitled beauty queen. And a made-up, nothing beauty pageant at that.
Jordan was born on third base and thinks he hit a triple. I knew him before he got the appointment.
No matter if there were racial meanings attached, a 65 year old woman using these terms on a newscast is cringy AF.
"Cringy AF" is a slang expression where:
Cringy (or cringe-worthy) describes something that causes embarrassment, discomfort, or secondhand shame.
AF is short for "as f***," used for emphasis.
So, "cringy AF" means something is extremely awkward, embarrassing, or hard to watch due to how uncomfortable or out-of-touch it seems.
Example:
"His attempt at rapping in the school talent show was cringy AF."
→ It was very awkward and hard to watch.
BTW- Barbie wears way to much makeup around the eyes.
Win for the professional victims
So a judge decided there was nothing for a jury to decide. Sounds like lawyerese for "Got your back, Mr. Businessman (wink)."
Waide will appeal. 5th circuit will send it back down and Barbie will get a settlement.
1-She had to know that her “grandmammy” statement was problematic
2-she was trying to be hip quoting Snoop.
3-WLBT saw an easy way out of a huge contract. and took the off-ramp after all that national attention
4-we are a right to work state. they found cause. it’s over. good decision by the judge to infer a private employer can let people go
had she not said either she would still be on air.
8:50 she has a masters degree in broadcast meteorology.
Barbie is a lot younger than 65.
WLBT should have at least given Bassett two weeks’ notice and an opportunity to make a face-saving departure.
This is nuts. In real time, we are watching judges give courtroom victories to murderers, rapists, and gang members who are also in clear violation of immigration laws...but a lady who says fo shizzle cannnot get justice? The judges in this country have become a mockery of the very thing they are supposed to represent.
Always a bad idea for people involved in media production. Especially those on live broadcast.
@7:49. How can we structure a wager on this?
9:05, it wasn't a newscast. It's a morning program, whose participants are hired/expected/paid/REQUIRED to engage in light banter. The kind of people who ruin gyms in the morning, with their stinky coffee and hilarity and BLARING TELEVISIONS, are the kind who watch the show (or people who USED TO huddle-together over coffee, in the morning - and miss doing that, but now they're dying shut-ins: the precise demographic who consume all those pricey drugs in the commercials with the obnoxious dancing - you know: the drug commercials which are TV's biggest source of revenue).
She was PAID TO crack lame jokes, be folksy, be homey. Problem was, she didn't realize she was among GRIEVANCEMONGERS looking for things to be offended by. She didn't realize she was up as the next Designated Victim, in a game of 'Get The White Guy'.
Then her backwoods butt should have stuck to giving the weather, where she only had to be right 50% of the time and the monolog was scripted for her!
Well-said! And the opposite of being a Professional Victim, was beautifully demonstrated by Bette Midler, in the remake of The Stepford Wives. They're at a Women's Club meeting, and Bette isn't quite saying the right thing. The group's leader says, "Maybe it's because youre...."
At which point various among the robotic wives chime-in:
"Different?"
"Afraid?"
"Jewish?"
Bette assumes a beatific/indulgent/loving expression, and says, "Same thing!" - just totally shrugging-it-off. She's being a MENSCH. That's the menschy thing to do. She's confronted with four questions which COULD be perceived as insults, but instead, CHOOSES to use them as vehicles for her expression of caring, acceptance, and endearment.
The opposite of 'Menschy', is to assume a hurt expression, and to FEIGN deep injury, over something that's nothing. The old expression (from before Marxist rules began to inform our discourse) was, "Making a mountain out of a mole hill."
If I were Grey Media, I'd be finding ways to jettison those professional victims. They're loose cannons.
Agreed. She should have stuck to weather. Talking off the cuff especially about culture in an entertainment environment is not something everyone can do . And in that case, the station is at fault bc someone agreed that the morning show was a good fit for her. It wasn’t . So in essence they set her up for failure. So yes, they are liable.
@ 8:08...You were doing pretty well until you tried to use the word "Infer". The judge could not infer unless he was parsing what someone else had said.
"3-WLBT saw an easy way out of a huge contract. and took the off-ramp after all that national attention"
I know nothing about this issue, but have always heard that other than the main anchors (Howard and Maggie in this case) and lead weatherman, the rest of on air personalities make much less than what we think. But IDK.
Howard and Maggie are sort of like Bennie T. They will leave the job when the coroner shows up.
And Barbie is sort of like Caitlin Clark. It's tough to be white in a black venue.
The judiciary in Mississippi is as corrupt as the U.S. Supreme Court, and all the lower, useless turds.
Remember Sweet Polly Purebred
Attorneys Jim and Rachel Waide get paid anyway.
Post a Comment