The New York Times has countersued the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, arguing that the agency's lawsuit is illegal retaliation for the paper's coverage of the Trump administration. In a counterclaim filed in Manhattan federal court, the Times seeks dismissal of the May lawsuit and a ruling that its free speech and due process rights were violated. The EEOC alleges the Times unlawfully passed over white men for editorial leadership roles, which the paper denies, contending that diversity goals played no part in the decision to promote a woman of multiracial background to deputy editor. The Times says the candidate who was hired had more experience and was better qualified than Bryant Rousseau, who had sought the promotion.
New York Times CompanyEEOC lawsuit alleges discrimination; countersuit adds legal risk and distraction