Chick-fil-A Billionaire’s Studio Utopia Hit With Racism Lawsuit

A group of Black residents in Fayetteville, Georgia, have filed a lawsuit against Trilith—a prominent production studio where Marvel has a contract—and its neighboring town, alleging discrimination, racial profiling, and retaliation. The major film hub and development are the brainchild of Dan Cathy, the billionaire leader of Chick-fil-A.

Located 20 minutes outside Atlanta, Trilith has been lauded as a new model for Hollywood. Its state-of-the-art studios and production vendors are only a golf cart ride away from its new-urbanist community, where those in the industry have access to green space, micro homes, an autonomous grocery store, and a coworking space. The town and studio have marketed themselves as an open, inclusive, diverse community for all types of people, and have capitalized on such a reputation. But Black residents and former workers say they were sold a false promise and that they were treated differently because of the color of their skin, according to a BuzzFeed News investigation by this reporter last month.

Now, four of them are suing Trilith Studios and Town because they have “experienced constant instances of racially motivated discriminatory acts, such as being negatively stereotyped and racially profiled by Trilith Defendants’ employees and agents,” according to the suit filed Tuesday night, obtained exclusively by The Daily Beast. After speaking out in the community and to the media, they allege that they were “stalked, harassed, subjected to intimidation,” and grew concerned for their safety.

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The residents accuse Trilith leadership and the homeowners association of not adequately responding to racist incidents and trying to sweep them under the rug. One prominent example, they say, occurred on March 9, 2022, when Robyn Walensky, a journalist at 95.5 WSB who lives at Trilith, referred to her neighbor, Carmen Key, and another resident named Keyania Otobor as “fucking n-----s.” The comment was caught on Key’s Ring camera. The outlet and Walensky’s attorney did not respond to requests for comment.

“This is not just any random company, might I add. Marvel movies shoot here. Black Panther and Wakanda Forever shot here. But as many of us learn, it’s one thing to benefit from the Black dollar, it’s another thing to respect and acknowledge the Black people behind the dollar,” Key told the Daily Beast. “We should be treated exactly like our white counterparts as it pertains to opportunities, partnerships, recourse, care and overall treatment.”

After reporting that incident and expressing concerns about the lack of diversity and inclusion at Trilith, the suit alleges that Key was “subjected to retaliation.” In one conversation about a lack of people of color at the Studio, investigated by this journalist and mentioned in the lawsuit, Key said an executive told her “we want to have Black people here, but we need to have people at a certain level.” After that, Key “without warning or explanation, was prevented from being able to access the Trilith Studios and perform her work as a vendor and subjected to other harassing behavior as a resident,” the lawsuit states.

Other Black residents say Trilith defendants denied or ignored their repeated pleas for home repairs while responding to and fixing similar requests made by white residents. Shortly after Pam and Aubrey Williams bought their new townhome in 2018, their roof began to leak and did not stop. Since they were not allowed to make the repair themselves, Pam reached out to the builders and eventually Trilith leaders, according to emails seen by this reporter. The couple, who are in their fifties and used to be good friends with Cathy, said they were often dismissed and ignored. Meanwhile, two white families who lived nearby had their leaking roofs repaired “without delay,” according to the lawsuit and previous investigation.

This reporter also spoke with a Black mother who said she and her children were also racially discriminated against when using the pool and basketball court. The lawsuit references other residents who say they were regularly treated differently while using those amenities and other shared spaces at Trilith development.

Trilith has vehemently denied all allegations, telling this reporter last month that “Trilith is a place for everyone” and that the BuzzFeed News investigation into the incidents cited in the lawsuit, as well as others, was “incomplete, inaccurate and mischaracterizes the mission we devote ourselves to daily in providing a supportive and collaborative place.” However, Brown and Trilith declined multiple times to respond to questions about what was inaccurate.

Brown and Cathy also did not respond to requests for comment about the lawsuit before publication.

In their lawsuit, the Black residents say Trilith’s failure to take action against racism and discrimination, as well as treating them differently because of the color of their skin, has caused them pain, inconvenience, and financial harm. Their collective experiences directly contradict Trilith’s promise to be a “community where makers, thinkers, and dreamers feel at home,” according to the suit.

As part of their relief and recourse, residents have asked for Trilith to create an independent diversity board or other type of community resource and authority to address racial discrimination and inclusivity. What is also vital, they say, is a formal process to file complaints and for more people of color to be integral in decision-making.

“At this point, a DEI program is the least Trilith Studios and the Town of Trilith could do in addition to restoring those that have been used, abused and ignored,” Key said.

For Pam and Aubrey Williams, the stress and ostracization they say they endured after speaking up about their experiences was a major factor in them deciding to leave their once dream home and move to another nearby town. The last five months have been difficult and painful, Aubrey Williams told The Daily Beast Tuesday evening, but they are in a better place, and hope that Trilith becomes one, too.

“I am happy that justice and change is coming to a community that deserves what they were promised,” he said.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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