A U.S. District judge has ruled that a lawsuit filed by former Fox29 Philadelphia reporter-anchor Tom Burlington can move forward.
Burlington, who’d been at WTXF since 2004, used the “n” word during a June 2007 staff meeting about the youth council of the Philadelphia NAACP’s symbolic burial of the word. Burlington, who is white, was suspended and later fired from the station.
Burlington claimed there was a double standard at work; that he was discriminated against because of his race. He claims in his lawsuit that at least two African American employees of Fox29 used the word in the workplace and were not disciplined.
A Fox spokeswoman told Philly.com the station disagreed with the judge’s decision and looks forward to presenting its case to the jury.
The trial is set to begin Jan. 18.