Kimberly Osorio
Kimberly Osorio | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1974 |
| Other names | Kim Osorio |
| Occupation | Editor |
| Known for | The Source Magazine lawsuit |
| Title | Executive Editor of BET Interactive |
| Predecessor | Carlito Rodriguez at The Source |
| Successor | Joshua "Fahiym" Ratcliffe at The Source |
| Children | one |
| Website | myspace.com page |
Kimberly Osorio (born 1974 in Bronx, New York City) filed a lawsuit against The Source magazine alleging sexual harassment, gender discrimination, defamation, retaliatory discharge, and maintaining a hostile work environment.[1][2][3] Osorio began working at The Source magazine in 2000 as an Associate Music Editor and was later promoted to Music Editor. She was given her last position in 2003 as Editor-in-Chief,[4][3][5] the first female EIC in the history of the publication.[6]
Allegations
Osorio filed her report to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in 2005 with fellow employee, ex-marketing VP, Michelle Joyce, outlining their case of sexual harassment.[6][7] The jury rejected the case brought forth by Michelle Joyce, but Kimberly Osorio's case went ahead.[8] It is now known that as early as 2004, Osorio began talking to lawyers regarding the merits of her case.[4] The affidavit filed with the EEOC detailed the work environment at the The Source magazine, as well as threats and conduct of workers.[1][6] Osorio soon after sent an e-mail to the Source Magazine Human Resources department outlining her complaint, and after refusing to withdraw her e-mail she was fired,[9] her employers claiming it was because of poor performance, particularly her decisions on magazine covers and certain negative reviews of artists' CDs.[1] After Osorio's termination, she was accused by Raymond Scott, the magazine's co-founder, of extortion during an interview he gave, where he went on to accuse Osorio of sleeping around with hip hop artists. [10][3][2][1][5][11]
Osorio outlined the environment which was present at the magazine: employees often watched pornographic movies and hung pictures of females in G-strings, smoked pot and called women bitches.[1][3][5] She also claimed that rumors constantly were made detailing untrue stories of her being sexually involved with industry artists.[5][10][1] After 2 weeks, a jury of six men and two women concluded that Osorio had not been a victim of sexual harassment,[10][3][1] but David Mays and Raymond Scott, co-founders of The Source magazine, had in fact terminated her in retaliation and, Scott had defamed her character in an interview he had given. In addition, The Source magazine was also liable for retaliatory termination. The total judgement was reported by media outlets to be $15.5 million. [10][12][3][2][1][5]
Result of trial
The trial lasted 8 days, with Raymond Scott being asked to leave, or threatened with removal from the court room by Judge Jed S. Rakoff.[1] The Source magazine filed for bankruptcy protection shortly before the verdict was handed down. Osorio's lawyer commented that he was not worried about the filing because, "They're (Source magazine) still a viable company."[3][1]
Mays and Scott currently contend the award was only for 7.5 million, stating Mays, Scott and Source magazine were only responsible for $4 million of the award jointly and not separately. According to a press release by Osorio's attorney, Kenneth Thompson, the award breakdown was $4 million from The Source for retaliatory discharge, $4 million from both David Mays and Raymond Scott for retaliatory discharge, $3.5 million from Scott for defamation of character. [10][3][2]
On November 1, 2006, Judge Rakoff announced the verdict was in fact for 7.5 million and not the 15.5 million reported by many media outlets. He further rejected the appeals of Mays, Benzino and The Source Magazine.[13]
The Source magazine, as well as Mays and Scott, plan to appeal the verdict on grounds of both the liability and damages.[12][3][2][1][5] Kimberly Osorio is currently the executive editor at BET Interactive (bet.com), an affiliate of Black Entertainment Television.[10][2][3][14] Osorio has hinted at the possibility of writing a book detailing the events of her time at The Source magazine.[12] This summer, Osorio left BET.com for her new gig at Global Grind.
Osorio finally broke her silence during an exclusive interview with BlackPressRadio.com, sparing little words about how she felt about the situation. She speaks candidly about the rumors, her relationships and what made her the most qualified woman in America to hold down the title of Editor-in-Chief of The Source.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Hip-Hop Editor Wins Suit over Her Firing". Washington post. October 25, 2006.
- ^ a b c d e f "Jury Award to Source Ex-Editor Disputed". MSN Money. October 25, 2006.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Jury Award to Source Ex-Editor Disputed". Houston Chronicle. October 25, 2006.
- ^ a b "Talking With Kim Osorio". Village Voice. October 30, 2006.
- ^ a b c d e f "Hip-hop mag bagged". New York Daily News. October 24, 2006.
- ^ a b c "Conscience Rap". Village Voice. October 23, 2006.
- ^ "Source Co-Founder Quits, Then Vows to Stay, As Discrimination and Harassment Allegations Arise". Folio Magazine. April 11, 2005.
- ^ ""Source" of Sex Crazies". New York Post. October 12, 2006.
- ^ "Benzino Slapped With Sexual-Harassment Charges". MTV. April 11, 2005.
- ^ a b c d e f "Former Source Magazine Editor-in-Chief Awarded $15.5 Million from The Source Trial". BET. October 23, 2006.
- ^ "Editors New "Source" Of Woe". New York Post. October 25, 2006.
- ^ a b c "Ex Source Editor, Kim Osorio, To Write Tell-All Book". VIBE Magazine. October 25, 2006.
- ^ "Kim Osorio Wins $8 Mil...Not $15 From The Source". HipHopDX. November 2, 2006.
- ^ "Ex-Source editor hopes ruling redefines rap". New York Metro. October 25, 2006.