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Writer Kim Osorio took on the nation’s most notorious rap magazine with charges of harassment and won a lawsuit judgment in the millions
By Kemba Dunham
During the late 1990’s, Kim Osorio was an up-and-comer at the granddaddy of all hip-hop publications, The Source magazine, considered by some seasoned writers and aspiring scribes to be a career-making destination. Born in The Bronx, the birthplace of rap, Osorio ditched her plans for a legal career and, in 2000, snagged a full-time gig as an associate music editor at the magazine, where her hard work was rewarded with one promotion after another.
“I think anyone who gets an editorial position at a magazine like The Source is going to shoot for the top,” the 32-year-old single mother recently told ESSENCE. But according to Osorio, this dream job—with its Park Avenue address and the $130,000 salary that went along with being named the magazine’s first female editor-in-chief in November 2002—soon turned into a nightmare.
HER DAY IN COURT
As Osorio later described in court testimony, she found herself at the center of an outrageous workplace: The office reeked of weed, and images of scantily clad women adorned staffers’ walls and screen savers. She also claimed she was subjected to harassment and intimidation, mostly at the hands of The Source’s two controversial owners, Raymond “Benzino” Scott and David Mays. After complaining about the treatment in an E-mail, she says she was fired in March 2005. Shortly afterward, she sued the magazine for sexual harassment, maintaining a hostile work force, gender discrimination and retaliatory discharge.
“There are many strong women working in this industry, and a lot of us have said, ‘This is the way the business is,’ and we just expect it,” observes Osorio. “When it’s not happening to you, you let it go by much of the time.”
Osorio claimed things got ugly by the time she became editor-in-chief and that the famously apoplectic Scott was completely inappropriate, wanting to know if she was sleeping with her direct reports or with rappers like Nas and Jay-Z. She also claimed in court that Scott once tried to get her to spend the weekend with him in Atlantic City, saying, “You are the queen of The Source; I am the king of The Source. We would be great together.”
Scott denied these allegations in court, admitting only that he cursed and raised his voice. He also stated that Osorio wasn’t so innocent. In fact, he said she asked him if he was sleeping with the rapper Lil’ Kim, and questioned him about Trina, the raunchy southern rapper with whom he was close. Others point out that The Source’s direction took a pimps-and-hos turn during Osorio’s tenure at the top, but she blames that on her former bosses.
Osorio testified that upon hearing about the complaint in 2005, Scott and Mays called her, asking, “What’s this woman s---?” and demanded that she either take back the E-mail or step down.
But Mays said in court that Osorio was fired because she had difficulty with leadership. Some former staffers agree with claims that during her time as editor-in-chief deadlines were missed, which would have been costly for the company.
In the months after her termination, Osorio tried to find another job. Although she had a slew of contacts, she always had to answer questions about the case. She testified that it didn’t help when Scott told AllHipHop.com, an industry Web site, that she had tried to extort money from him. “I had to start from scratch,” says Osorio, who was forced to refinance her New Jersey home to make up for her loss of income.
The two-week trial was anything but restrained. Osorio’s attorney told the judge that Scott shouted, “Coward! Chump! Uncle Tom!” at him as he walked to the men’s room during a recess. The jury also listened to all sorts of profanity, including a raunchy telephone call in which Scott called a female journalist an “ugly butch pig” and a “slut monkey.” The jury returned its verdict in four hours.
On October 23, 2006, a Manhattan jury awarded Osorio an astounding $15.5 million. Jurors agreed she was fired in retaliation for her complaints and that she was later defamed by Scott on an industry Web site, but they did not find in Osorio’s favor on her claim of sexual harassment.
THE AFTERMATH
Although a judge has since reduced the award to $8 million, Osorio believes she’s achieved the ultimate triumph. “I got to tell my side of the story in court,” she says. “The workplace environment is supposed to be different from what you see in entertainment. It feels good to know that my rights were vindicated.”
Mays and Scott, who left the magazine early last year for other reasons and have since started a new publication called Hip Hop Weekly, did not respond to a request to be interviewed, but their lawyer told ESSENCE they plan to appeal. Coincidentally, The Source filed for bankruptcy protection in May 2006, listing debts in the millions.
Osorio’s suit against the magazine sent shock waves through the urban entertainment industry, in which the corporate environments are often as illicit and inappropriate as the images they sell.
“Maybe it will force some employers to wake up and accept responsibility and make them aware that, yes, you will be held liable if you run your company the way The Source did,” says Sandy Vasceannie, the founder and chief executive officer of Star Media, Inc., the publishing company that produces Smooth magazine, a lifestyle publication that covers hip-hop while also showcasing “tastefully nude” women.
Now pregnant with her second child and working for less pay as the executive editor of music at BET.com, an affiliate of Black Entertainment Television, Osorio is considering writing a book about her experience. What’s her opinion of hip-hop these days? Osorio says she’s “conflicted.” “When artists are talking about ‘*****es’ and ‘hos’ you’re thinking, They’re not talking about me. But when it happens to you, you see that this is about us—every one of us—and we can’t continue to let our rights be violated.” [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/rolleyes.gif[/img]
didn't know if this was posted before
By Kemba Dunham
During the late 1990’s, Kim Osorio was an up-and-comer at the granddaddy of all hip-hop publications, The Source magazine, considered by some seasoned writers and aspiring scribes to be a career-making destination. Born in The Bronx, the birthplace of rap, Osorio ditched her plans for a legal career and, in 2000, snagged a full-time gig as an associate music editor at the magazine, where her hard work was rewarded with one promotion after another.
“I think anyone who gets an editorial position at a magazine like The Source is going to shoot for the top,” the 32-year-old single mother recently told ESSENCE. But according to Osorio, this dream job—with its Park Avenue address and the $130,000 salary that went along with being named the magazine’s first female editor-in-chief in November 2002—soon turned into a nightmare.
HER DAY IN COURT
As Osorio later described in court testimony, she found herself at the center of an outrageous workplace: The office reeked of weed, and images of scantily clad women adorned staffers’ walls and screen savers. She also claimed she was subjected to harassment and intimidation, mostly at the hands of The Source’s two controversial owners, Raymond “Benzino” Scott and David Mays. After complaining about the treatment in an E-mail, she says she was fired in March 2005. Shortly afterward, she sued the magazine for sexual harassment, maintaining a hostile work force, gender discrimination and retaliatory discharge.
“There are many strong women working in this industry, and a lot of us have said, ‘This is the way the business is,’ and we just expect it,” observes Osorio. “When it’s not happening to you, you let it go by much of the time.”
Osorio claimed things got ugly by the time she became editor-in-chief and that the famously apoplectic Scott was completely inappropriate, wanting to know if she was sleeping with her direct reports or with rappers like Nas and Jay-Z. She also claimed in court that Scott once tried to get her to spend the weekend with him in Atlantic City, saying, “You are the queen of The Source; I am the king of The Source. We would be great together.”
Scott denied these allegations in court, admitting only that he cursed and raised his voice. He also stated that Osorio wasn’t so innocent. In fact, he said she asked him if he was sleeping with the rapper Lil’ Kim, and questioned him about Trina, the raunchy southern rapper with whom he was close. Others point out that The Source’s direction took a pimps-and-hos turn during Osorio’s tenure at the top, but she blames that on her former bosses.
Osorio testified that upon hearing about the complaint in 2005, Scott and Mays called her, asking, “What’s this woman s---?” and demanded that she either take back the E-mail or step down.
But Mays said in court that Osorio was fired because she had difficulty with leadership. Some former staffers agree with claims that during her time as editor-in-chief deadlines were missed, which would have been costly for the company.
In the months after her termination, Osorio tried to find another job. Although she had a slew of contacts, she always had to answer questions about the case. She testified that it didn’t help when Scott told AllHipHop.com, an industry Web site, that she had tried to extort money from him. “I had to start from scratch,” says Osorio, who was forced to refinance her New Jersey home to make up for her loss of income.
The two-week trial was anything but restrained. Osorio’s attorney told the judge that Scott shouted, “Coward! Chump! Uncle Tom!” at him as he walked to the men’s room during a recess. The jury also listened to all sorts of profanity, including a raunchy telephone call in which Scott called a female journalist an “ugly butch pig” and a “slut monkey.” The jury returned its verdict in four hours.
On October 23, 2006, a Manhattan jury awarded Osorio an astounding $15.5 million. Jurors agreed she was fired in retaliation for her complaints and that she was later defamed by Scott on an industry Web site, but they did not find in Osorio’s favor on her claim of sexual harassment.
THE AFTERMATH
Although a judge has since reduced the award to $8 million, Osorio believes she’s achieved the ultimate triumph. “I got to tell my side of the story in court,” she says. “The workplace environment is supposed to be different from what you see in entertainment. It feels good to know that my rights were vindicated.”
Mays and Scott, who left the magazine early last year for other reasons and have since started a new publication called Hip Hop Weekly, did not respond to a request to be interviewed, but their lawyer told ESSENCE they plan to appeal. Coincidentally, The Source filed for bankruptcy protection in May 2006, listing debts in the millions.
Osorio’s suit against the magazine sent shock waves through the urban entertainment industry, in which the corporate environments are often as illicit and inappropriate as the images they sell.
“Maybe it will force some employers to wake up and accept responsibility and make them aware that, yes, you will be held liable if you run your company the way The Source did,” says Sandy Vasceannie, the founder and chief executive officer of Star Media, Inc., the publishing company that produces Smooth magazine, a lifestyle publication that covers hip-hop while also showcasing “tastefully nude” women.
Now pregnant with her second child and working for less pay as the executive editor of music at BET.com, an affiliate of Black Entertainment Television, Osorio is considering writing a book about her experience. What’s her opinion of hip-hop these days? Osorio says she’s “conflicted.” “When artists are talking about ‘*****es’ and ‘hos’ you’re thinking, They’re not talking about me. But when it happens to you, you see that this is about us—every one of us—and we can’t continue to let our rights be violated.” [img]/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/rolleyes.gif[/img]
didn't know if this was posted before
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