Lawsuit: White Fla. Teacher Fired for Having Black Boyfriend

[steve2470]

Last edited Tue Sep 1, 2015, 01:30 PM - Edit history (1)

http://www.theroot.com/articles/news/2015/08/lawsuit_white_florida_teacher_fired_for_having_black_boyfriend.html



A former Orange County, Fla., schoolteacher says her choice in mate, music and friends is the reason she was fired from her job, and she has filed a lawsuit seeking justice.

According to WESH, Audrey Dudek, a former math teacher at Edgewater High School, claims she was fired in 2013 after school officials learned that her then-boyfriend, now husband, is black.

"This isn't about sending a message," Suzanne Tzuanos, an Orlando attorney whose firm is handling Dudek's case, told the news station. "This is about getting justice for a teacher who was terminated unlawfully."

According to the lawsuit viewed by WESH, school officials were "shocked and offended" after learning that Dudek's husband, Stacey Cobb, is black, and that she associated with black faculty members. The lawsuit also alleges that some faculty didn't like Dudek because she played "black music" in her classroom and some students had dubbed her classroom, "Club Audrey."

eta: Former Orange County teacher sues for discrimination

http://www.wesh.com/news/former-orange-county-teacher-sues-for-discrimination/34955048

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. —A former Orange County school teacher is suing the school district. She claims she was discriminated against, and the evidence in the case is causing one state group to believe she has a case.

In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, the former Edgewater High School math teacher, Audrey Dudek, is suing the school district, claiming she was discriminated against, when administrators learned her boyfriend was black.

"This isn't about sending a message. This is about getting justice for a teacher that was terminated unlawfully," said Suzanne Tzuanos, Orlando attorney.

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Tzuanos' firm is representing Audrey Dudek, the teacher who was let go in 2013. According to the lawsuit, the school's principal at the time and assistant principal treated her differently "because she closely associated with non-whites," according to a report. The lawsuit alleged that school officials were "shocked and offended" when they learned her now husband, Stacey, was black and that her classroom was called "Club Audrey" because she played "black music" and associated with non-white faculty members.