Amy Cooper, Woman Who Called Cops About Black Birdwatcher, Loses Lawsuit Against Former Employer
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Christian Cooper/Facebook Amy Cooper
A judge has dismissed Amy Cooper's claim that she was illegally fired and defamed by her former employer following the fallout in which she called police about a Black birdwatcher in Central Park in 2020.
In the lawsuit, Cooper accused her then-employer, Franklin Templeton, of defamation, not properly investigating the incident and discriminating against her on the basis of her race and sex, according to Reuters.
On Wednesday, Southern District of New York Judge Ronnie Abrams dismissed the lawsuit, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE. In the verdict, Abrams wrote that the former insurance portfolio manager failed to prove her termination was because of her race or gender or that the company had defamed her and intentionally inflicted emotional distress.
Cooper made headlines on May 25, 2020, when an altercation with Black birdwatcher Christian Cooper (no relation) went viral after it was captured on video. In the video, Amy is seen calling the police on Christian after he asked her to leash her dog in a wooded area of Central Park where dogs are not allowed to be without a leash.
Christian said at the time that he approached Amy to remind her of the rule and he tried to bait the dog away from the plantings in the area using treats, which was when Amy threatened to tell police she was being accosted by "an African-American man."
Amy initially apologized to Christian shortly after the incident, telling WNBC at the time: "It was unacceptable. And you know words are just words and I can't undo what I did. I sincerely and humbly apologize to everyone. Especially to that man, his family."
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Cooper filed the lawsuit last year against Franklin Templeton, its CEO and President Jenny Johnson and 10 John Does, accusing the financial services firm of making public statements that "created and nurtured" the characterization of Cooper as "a privileged white female 'Karen.'"
"Franklin Templeton perpetuated and legitimized the story of 'Karen' vs. an innocent African American to its perceived advantage, with reckless disregard for the destruction of Plaintiff's life in the process," the suit, which was previously obtained by PEOPLE, claims.
The asset management firm announced its decision to "terminate" Amy one day after the footage spread across social media.
"Following our internal review of the incident in Central Park yesterday, we have made the decision to terminate the employee involved, effective immediately," the firm wrote on Twitter at the time. "We do not tolerate racism of any kind at Franklin Templeton."
RELATED: Woman Fired After Calling Police on Black Man Who Asked Her to Leash Her Dog
A spokeswoman with Franklin Templeton told The Washington Post on Wednesday said the company was pleased with the outcome of the case.
"We continue to believe the company responded appropriately," spokeswoman Lisa Gallegos told the newspaper.
Cooper's attorneys did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
