'Central Park Karen' loses wrongful termination lawsuit against former employer

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Karen posted her latest L. 

A New York Judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by Amy Cooper, also known as “Central Park Karen,” ending the wrongful termination and defamation Cooper launched against her former employer, Franklin Templeton.

Amy Cooper was blasted on social media in 2020 for calling 911 on a black birdwatcher in Central Park.

U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams of the Southern District of New York said that Amy Cooper had not presented substantial evidence that her termination from her previous employer was because of her race and gender.

“This argument merits little attention. None of Franklin Templeton’s public statements made any mention of Plaintiff’s race,” judge Abrams wrote. “It is well-established that an accusation of bigotry is a protected statement of opinion, rather than a defamatory statement of fact capable of being proven true or false.”

Amy Cooper was caught on video in May 2020 calling the police on Christian Cooper, a black birdwatcher, who asked Amy to leash her dog. The “Central Park Karen” proceeded to call police on the birdwatcher, stating that “an African American man” was “threatening” her and her dog in Central Park.

She later apologized for the event, stating that she was in the wrong, that the birdwatcher did not threaten her, and that her dog should have been leashed.

Franklin Templeton, issued a statement the same day the park incident took place. The company said it does not condone racism and placed her on administrative leave, firing her the next day.

Amy Cooper proceeded to file a lawsuit in May 2021 against the company, alleging she was wrongfully terminated because of her race and gender, and that a proper investigation was not launched before her termination.

She also accused the company of defaming her after the CEO made public comments on the incident. 

The Hill reported: 

Abrams on Wednesday ruled that Cooper failed to show the public comments and statements condemning racism also meant she was subject to discrimination in her termination procedure.

The judge additionally said Cooper did not prove other employees were treated more fairly than she was, saying the examples of other employees at the firm who received different treatment for violations were for completely unrelated incidents.

Cooper also could not prove Franklin Templeton did not launch a proper internal review.