Rap mogul RAYMOND 'BENZINO' SCOTT and his former magazine The Source have been ordered to pay $14.5 million (#26 million) for firing a female editor at the publication after she accused them of sexual discrimination.
Former Editor-In-Chief KIMBERLY OSORIO was fired by rapper/publisher Scott in an angry, swearing phone call in February 2005 after she complained she worked in an office environment where the magazine bosses watched pornography, smoked marijuana and addressed female employees as "bitches".
The Source's management, Scott and his co-founder DAVID MAYS insist Osorio's employment ended because she was missing deadlines and failed to lead the editorial team efficiently.
A Manhattan federal jury in New York City ruled yesterday (23OCT06) that the publication had ended Osorio's contract in retaliation for her complaints and that Scott had defamed her during a radio interview when he accused the journalist of having casual sex with powerful hip-hop figures.
However, the jury ruled the 32-year-old single mother was not discriminated against and had not worked in the inappropriate office environment she had described.
Osorio tells the New York Daily News, "I feel like I've been vindicated. This verdict shows that all women must be treated with dignity and respect no matter what industry they work in - even rap music."
MERCEDES COLWIN, lawyer for The Source - whose owners removed Scott and his co-founder DAVID MAYS from the board of directors earlier this year (06) - says the magazine plans to appeal the verdict.
During her closing arguments in the trial, Colwin admitted swear words were often used in the publication's headquarters, but they were not directed at Osorio.
Colwin says, "They used the f**k word, the s**t word, the damn word. It was not a gender-specific conduct whatsoever."