Disney Faces Discrimination Lawsuit Over Alleged Racist Remarks by IT Leader
POLICY WIRE — Los Angeles, USA — A Black former employee has initiated legal action against The Walt Disney Co. and Capgemini America Inc., claiming his Latino IT team leader engaged in racially...
POLICY WIRE — Los Angeles, USA — A Black former employee has initiated legal action against The Walt Disney Co. and Capgemini America Inc., claiming his Latino IT team leader engaged in racially charged comments and showed favoritism towards employees of his own ethnicity.
William Lacks has filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court. He accuses both companies of wrongful termination, racial discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and emotional distress. Lacks is pursuing unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
A Disney spokesperson has not yet commented on the lawsuit, which was submitted on Friday.
Lacks began his role as an IT support engineer in 2017 at Disney Studios in Burbank, where he was the sole Black member of the technology studio and administrative services group.
The lawsuit details that Lacks faced racial harassment and exclusion from March 2025 until his termination. It claims the team leader openly expressed distrust towards Black people and, along with a colleague, frequently made derogatory jokes and comments about Black individuals.
The team leader allegedly avoided collaboration with Lacks, redirecting tasks and support tickets to newer Latino employees. Lacks was also reportedly excluded from team discussions and activities.
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Furthermore, Lacks was assigned physically demanding tasks, including a comprehensive studio inventory, which resulted in a hernia. He was also removed from red-carpet events, losing associated overtime work.
When Lacks reported the alleged racism to his supervisor, the lawsuit states that the supervisor laughed and failed to address the concerns, instead protecting the team leader.
Lacks was dismissed in November 2025 without prior warning or performance issues cited. He believes his termination was in retaliation for complaining about the workplace discrimination. The lawsuit asserts that he has experienced financial loss and emotional distress as a result.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
