Boyd Gaming sued for alleged racial discrimination

A former casino executive for Boyd Gaming is suing the company for alleged acts of racial and sexual discrimination. Among the claims made by former sales director Kim Carpenter is that the company avoids booking musical acts that would attract large African American or Hispanic audiences to its casinos.
Carpenter, whose duties included booking acts for the company’s St. Charles, Missouri properties, says that she was told by company officials to avoid booking acts that were, “primarily for black people.” She also alleges there were acts of sexual discrimination during her tenure with the company.
Lawyers for the former casino employee say that Carpenter was not the only Boyd Gaming to experience sexual discrimination on the job. She is, however, the only one who is currently suing the company’s St. Charles’ operation for it at this time.
The lawsuit was originally filed with the St. Charles County Circuit Court late last year, but is being moved to a Federal Court.
Carpenter is also alleging that she was wrongfully fired from the company for voicing her concerns about the unofficial booking policies. In her briefings to the court, the former sales director points out that she was given a large bonus and a very positive review, just a month before being fired for not being a, “good cultural fit.”
David Strow,Boyd VP of Corporate Communication spoke on behalf of the company to CalvinAyre.com and strongly denied the allegations saying, “We strongly dispute these allegations. However, given that this matter is the subject of pending litigation, we cannot comment further at this time.”