Needle, 54, one of the former producers on the show, described the working environment as "toxic."
Needle was fired. And, while she had suffered health issues and had taken time off to care for her ailing mother, she was told that the reason for her firing was "an unspecified conflict from her audience work." However, Needle believes her sudden layoff occurred because she was "too old."
The second lawsuit was filed by thirty-seven-year-old Jonathan Sebastien, another former producer on the show. Like Needle, Sebastien believes he was unfairly fired. Low ratings during his time on the show was the reason the producers gave Sebastien for firing him. However, the Sebastien argues that his firing was the result of a "discriminatory selection process," according to the complaint.
Numerous times, according to the suit, Sebastien presented cases involving African-Americans to Douthit; however, Douthit, who had allegedly yelled at Sebastien and cursed at him in a meeting, refused to include them. "We're not doing any more black shows," Douthit said, according to the complaint. "I don't want to hear black people arguing."
However, a current staff member has said that "these are two disgruntled employees fired for cause because they were not performing their jobs. Their allegations are without merit and ludicrous."
The reality-based TV show, which debuted in 1996, features Judith Sheindlin as Judge Judy. Out of all the courtroom dramas, Judge Judy has had the highest ratings.
