White DMX fan sues Verizon after allegedly being fired for using N-word while discussing late rapper

Oumou Fofana
·2 min read
2
DMX
2015 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival - Weekend 2 - Day 1

A white DMX fan is suing Verizon after allegedly being fired for using the N-word while discussing the late rapper on the company’s phone.

According to exclusive documents obtained by AllHipHop on Thursday (Dec. 29), Peter Kelly is attempting to recover damages for Verizon’s “unlawful discrimination” against him “in violation of the National Labor Relations Act.” The document states, “This action also arises out of the breach by Plaintiff’s union, Defendant Communications Workers of America, AFL-CIO (the ‘Union’), of the duty to provide fair representation, and of the breach by Plaintiff’s employer, Defendant Verizon New York Inc. (‘Verizon’), of the collective bargaining agreement.”

Kelly worked for the telecommunications company as a field technician for more than 20 years. He stated that on April 6, 2021 —three days before DMX died — he took a personal call while on his lunch break. The New York native noted that he was fired in May of 2021 “without cause” following the conversation he had a month prior.

“In discussing DMX’s music, Plaintiff used the word ‘n####,’ which is a word commonly used by the artist himself in his lyrics. Unbeknownst to Plaintiff, he had inadvertently answered a call on his company cellular phone, and a Verizon employee who listened to his private call for approximately forty-five seconds overheard him say the word ‘n**ga,’” the document read. “Such language is used in the presence of management-level employees, yet when it is used by a female employee, an African American employee, and/or a Hispanic employee, none is reprimanded or disciplined in any way,” it continued.

As a result, Kelly is seeking “all forms of relief recoverable under the statutes sued hereunder, including compensatory damages, back pay and reinstatement; an award of statutory attorneys’ fees; a judicial declaration that the Union, by virtue of its conduct, is precluded from representing Plaintiff’s interests, and Plaintiff is therefore entitled to pursue all rights in this Court in his own place and stead; an award of pre-judgment interest and costs; and such further and additional relief as the Court deems just and proper.”

As previously reported by REVOLT, the “Ruff Ryder’s Anthem” rapper passed away at the age of 50 following a heart attack.