Los Angeles’s Broad museum is facing two lawsuits, filed within less than a week of each other, that accuse the institution of discrimination and defamation, as well as failing to prevent retaliation against two workers.
The first suit was filed by the museum’s former HR director, Darron Rezell Walker, who claims in a legal filing that he was released from his role after failing to find cause to fire a facilities manager. Walker claims he was pressured by the museum’s former COO, Alysa Gerlach, to fire Rick Mitchell, 65, based on personal animosity, his age, and his race. Walker alleges that he was dismissed by Gerlach after failing to find cause for Mitchell’s termination following an investigation into his department.
The investigation was initiated after Mitchell asked for safety standards to be reviewed for his department, which included 37 people at the time of the internal dispute.
The second lawsuit, filed by Mitchell, accuses Gerlach of orchestrating his termination due to age and racial bias. Mitchell alleges that there was an internal investigation that was conducted by Walker and requested by Gerlach, and that no wrongdoing was discovered.
Mitchell goes on to allege that Gerlach violated the law by fabricating a reason for his firing. The suit claims that Gerlach committed defamation, allegedly by making false claims about Mitchell’s job performance, and that the museum failed to prevent retaliation against him.
Mitchell’s suit said he had been employed at the Broad since its founding in 2015, when he joined as engineer, and that he received positive performance reviews since 2018. The lawsuit claims that Gerlach, who joined the museum in 2022, was hostile toward Mitchell, describing him to staff as an “old white man” who sought to overhaul his department with “fresh blood.”
The Broad has denied the allegations, asserting that it followed proper processes and that it will defend itself in court. According to a public LinkedI account, Gerlach left the museum in September.
In a statement to Artnet, a representative for the Broad said that the allegations are “without merit.”
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