A highly notable figure in black media has lost a legal battle with an American broadcasting conglomerate. This contentious litigation process was officiated by the U.S. Supreme Court.
In August of 2019, Byron Allen (pictured) sued the Comcast Corporation in a landmark lawsuit, which accused the multi-media giant of racial bias. Allen, 58, claimed throughout the course of his historic legal struggle that in a discriminatory fashion, Comcast swiftly rejected a television distribution proposal offered by the Entertainment Studios Network.
Allen is the founder and CEO of Entertainment Studios Network, a very large and highly successful multi-media company in its own right.
The Comedy Central creator said that during the negotiation process with Comcast, several of his television production channels were pitched to be included in what would have been an epic media distribution deal. However, Comcast swiftly rejected Allen’s attempt to broker a deal. With good reason, he believes the company made its decision based on race.
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Oral arguments on both sides pertaining to this case began before the U.S. Supreme Court in November 2019. The storied legal battle between Allen and Comcast made a key U.S. law the focal point of litigation and research, which has been on the books for over 150 years (The U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1866). Allen insisted in public statements about the case that the historical ramifications in his suit are “bigger than him.”
Comcast maintained that its refusal to do business with Allen was based on the low ratings of his television channels. However, the established media mogul disputed that claim in an exclusive interview with journalist Roland Martin.
“In discovery, we could’ve shown the world that [Comcast] has over 100 networks on their platform…that are white-owned that have a lower rating than ours. Then they’ll say things like [I don’t have good quality]. Well, our networks are Emmy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning,” Allen told Martin on the commentator’s daily digital show.
However, in a unanimous vote, the U.S. Supreme Court’s judges disagreed with Allen’s claim that race played a part in Comcast’s decision to reject his proposal.
On Monday (March 23), Allen exclusively sent a statement to The Grio (owned by Entertainment Studios) to express his thoughts on the High Court’s sketchy ruling.
“Unfortunately, the Supreme Court has rendered a ruling that is harmful to the civil rights of millions of Americans. This is a very bad day for our country. We will continue our fight by going to Congress and the presidential candidates to revise the statute to overcome this decision by the United States Supreme Court, which significantly diminishes our civil rights,” Allen said.
Source: Byron Allen Issues Statement Following High Court Loss to Comcast
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