A former public relations manager for the Chicago Blackhawks filed a discrimination lawsuit against the team this week, alleging he was wrongfully fired after sharing his experiences as a gay man in an article with Outsports, a site covering LGBTQ+ sports news.<\/p>\n
Anthony Filomena, the former employee, filed the suit Thursday in federal court. He was hired as the manager of public relations in July 2022 and fired in May 2024, a day after complaining to a supervisor that he was being criticized for participating in the interview, the lawsuit said.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the Blackhawks denied that Filomena being fired had anything to do with his sexual orientation.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Filomena was terminated for cause due to multiple instances of misconduct over a period of six months,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cHe received multiple written communications outlining expectations including a formal, final written warning prior to his dismissal. His termination was solely due to continued misconduct and disregard for our company policies.\u201d<\/p>\n
The lawsuit, however, alleged that Filomena experienced \u201chostile and aggressive actions\u201d from a supervisor who treated him differently because he\u2019s gay. It said the supervisor retaliated against Filomena for reporting him to human resources by \u201cyelling and berating him\u201d in his office loud enough for others to hear and claiming he was \u201cnot doing his job.\u201d<\/p>\n
In April 2024, the lawsuit said Filomena was asked to share his experience with Outsports of being a gay man working for the Blackhawks. He got approval directly from CEO Danny Wirtz<\/a>, who said it would be \u201cbeneficial\u201d for the team\u2019s reputation with the LGBTQ+ community, the suit alleged. In the article<\/a>, published April 29, 2024, Filomena said the Blackhawks helped him rediscover his passion for sports in a welcoming environment.<\/p>\n However, three days later, another senior employee told Filomena that a \u201cvery difficult conversation needed to be had\u201d and that the brand and marketing department was \u201cangry\u201d about the article, the lawsuit alleged. Filomena told a supervisor that he believed the criticism was due to his sexual orientation and that he got approval from Wirtz to participate in the article, the lawsuit states.<\/p>\n The following day, on May 3, he was fired, the lawsuit said, despite a \u201cperfect rating\u201d on his performance review a month prior. His termination letter said he didn\u2019t have authorization to participate in the article, the suit alleged.<\/p>\n \u201c(The Blackhawks\u2019) stated reasons for termination \u2014 alleged policy violations and performance Filomena has suffered \u201cmental anguish, emotional distress, humiliation and loss of enjoyment of life\u201d since the firing, the lawsuit said.<\/p>\n The lawsuit comes after Filomena filed a discrimination charge with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in July 2024. The agency issued Filomena a right to sue over his charge in May. He\u2019s seeking back pay, front pay, lost benefits, compensatory damages and attorneys\u2019 fees.<\/p>\n
deficiencies \u2014 were either fabricated, exaggerated or not the actual basis for the decision,\u201d the lawsuit said.<\/p>\n