USA 
United Kingdom
Netflix has been hit with a lawsuit by a former senior labor relations attorney who claims she was terminated in retaliation for reporting racial and sexual misconduct by two executives.
Filed by Pasadena-based civil rights law firm Hadsell Stormer Renick & Dai, the suit accuses the company, Senior Director Ted Sinclair, and executive Jonah Cozien of violating federal anti-retaliation laws and attempting to silence internal whistleblowing through private arbitration.
The plaintiff, Nhu Phan, is represented by HSRD attorneys Brian Olney and Kate McFarlane.
Positive reviews before dismissal
According to the complaint, Phan joined Netflix in 2021 and advanced quickly due to her 'exemplary work'. The lawsuit includes an evaluation from Cozien, who described her as a “great asset” with “utter courage, brilliant communication, and outstanding integrity.”
Despite those reviews, Phan alleges that Sinclair excluded women of color from important projects and credited their work to white peers. She said she raised concerns with Human Resources and company leadership, and that Sinclair was promoted in 2023.
After asking for a new reporting line, Phan was reassigned to Cozien in August 2022. She claims that while working under him, she learned he was sexually harassing a younger female employee. The lawsuit says she reported this behavior to Human Resources.
Forced arbitration challenged
Following that report, Phan says Cozien retaliated by canceling a promised promotion. She was fired shortly afterward.
The suit also accuses Netflix of attempting to force arbitration, which her attorneys argue violates the federal Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act. The statute prohibits companies from forcing private arbitration in cases involving sexual misconduct.
“Netflix is a corporate bully that will do anything to avoid responsibility for its actions,” said HSRD partner Brian Olney. “Nhu Phan had the courage to blow the whistle about Netflix executives who are discriminating against women of color and sexually harassing a female employee. Rather than address the serious issues she raised, Netflix repeatedly tried to silence Ms. Phan, first by firing her and then by suing her.”
McFarlane added: “Nhu Phan was brave enough to speak out about a culture of discrimination and harassment by men in power at Netflix. As a result, Netflix fired her, promoted her abusers, and attempted to silence her. She continues to stand up for herself and other women of color at Netflix.”
When contacted for comment, a Netflix spokesperson said: “These claims lack merit and we intend to defend this matter vigorously.”
