Netflix Executive Sues for Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Allegations, Claiming Wrongful Termination

A former Netflix labor relations executive is suing the streaming giant, alleging she was fired for reporting two senior managers for discrimination and sexual harassment.

Nhu-Y Phan was terminated 10 months ago despite receiving a positive employment review. She claims her dismissal came after raising legitimate legal concerns regarding Ted Sinclair’s discrimination against women of color and Jonah Cozien’s sexual harassment of a female colleague. Both Sinclair and Cozien were Phan’s former supervisors.

In a 76-page complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Phan, who is Asian American, alleges that Sinclair discriminated against her and two Latina colleagues by excluding them from projects and meetings related to Netflix series under his oversight.

Netflix responded by stating, “These claims lack merit, and we intend to defend this matter vigorously.”

Phan’s lawsuit details how she repeatedly reported Mr. Sinclair’s unlawful conduct between March and June 2022. She informed the company’s Director of Human Resources that Sinclair had a history of microaggressions and micromanagement targeted specifically at her. Despite complaints, Netflix allegedly took no action to prevent Sinclair’s continued discrimination and retaliation, including denying Phan professional opportunities.

Phan recalls a September 2022 meeting where Sinclair apologized and promised to address his biases. However, in November, Sinclair encouraged a white employee to claim credit for work Phan had done on a significant project.

Despite ongoing complaints about Sinclair’s discriminatory and retaliatory behavior, Netflix promoted Sinclair to Senior Executive Counsel in May 2023.

In August 2022, Phan started reporting to Cozien, a director-level manager. Later, a colleague confided in Phan about Cozien’s sexual harassment, including persistent invitations for off-site meetings and inappropriate messages.

Phan urged the colleague to report Cozien to HR, which she did. Following these events, Sinclair and Cozien allegedly retaliated by filing critical reports about Phan. After their supervisor left, Sinclair took over the scripted comedy series Phan worked on.

The lawsuit alleges Sinclair and Cozien conspired to have Phan wrongfully terminated in retaliation for her complaints, with her official dismissal occurring on August 16, 2024, under vague “performance issues.”

Phan’s legal claim includes wrongful termination, negligence, and emotional distress, demanding a jury trial and unspecified damages.