WSJ Editor Considering Filing Discrimination Lawsuit

A federal district court judge has stated the first black assistant managing editor for the Wall Street Journal has a racial discrimination case against her former employer, Reuters reports.

Carolyn Phillips alleged in the lawsuit that she was fired from the news provider because she is black. Judge Deborah Batts agreed and said that a reasonable juror could come to the conclusion that Phillips' dismissal could have been motivated by race.

This ruling sets the potential for a trial between the former editor and the national newspaper. Phillips is reportedly seeking compensatory damages and $5 million of punitive damages.

"Plaintiff has produced sufficient circumstantial evidence to create a genuine issue of material fact as to whether intentional discrimination influenced the adverse employment decisions at issue," Batts said in her 45-page order dated Monday.

If the case goes to trial, the Journal could face state and federal violation charges.

According to the judge's order, Phillips regularly received positive performance reviews as well as five merit pay increases during her two decade career at the journal.

The suit states that the Journal's managing editor and deputy managing editor, Paul Steiger and Daniel Gertzberg, used race as a factor behind their dissatisfaction with Phillips' work.