Doug Henwood wrote:
> [CNS = Christian News Service]
>
> Employees Accuse Christian Coalition of Discrimination
> By Christine Hall
> CNSNews.com Staff Writer
> June 25, 2001
>
> (CNSNews.com) - The Christian Coalition has been accused of racial
> discrimination by 13 current and former employees who have taken
> their claim to federal court.
>
> According to the plaintiffs' attorney, black clerical workers were
> asked to enter the office through a back door, segregated into a
> separate lunch area and excluded from inaugural celebrations and an
> office Christmas party hosted by the coalition.
>
> The lawsuit also alleges the Coalition retaliated against the black
> workers after they filed the lawsuit by first shortening their work
> hours and then requiring them to work extra hours to catch up.
>
> "What was going on, and is still going on, is the black employees ...
> are treated differently than the white staff," said Jon S. Nicholas
> of the Washington law firm Dilworth Paxson, which represents the
> plaintiffs.
>
> Nicholas expects the judge to set a schedule by July 2 for the case,
> originally filed in February, to proceed.
>
> The lawsuit also includes an allegation by a former white employee of
> the Coalition that he was fired after he refused a request by
> management to "spy" on the black workers.
>
> "I'm sure the Christian Coalition didn't mean to do anything wrong,"
> said a prominent conservative activist, who asked to remain anonymous.
>
> "It sounds to me like it's an abusive lawsuit. I have no clue whether
> they did something inappropriate or whether it's just an effort by
> people reading [in] the papers that you could sue and get jillions of
> dollars. They probably wrongly think the Coalition has a lot of
> money," the source said.
>
> The Coalition's fundraising has reportedly tanked since 1997,
> dropping from $15.8 million to $2.9 million in the space of a few
> years. The group has since decided to cancel its annual "Road to
> Victory" conference in Washington, D.C. this year.
>
> Nicholas, a self-described conservative Republican, said that before
> filing the lawsuit he tried to engage Coalition officials in
> mediation talks.
>
> "I met them and initially thought we should be able to go in there
> and talk to them and get everything resolved," he said. "It just
> hasn't worked out that way. We contacted their attorneys privately.
> Very shortly afterwards, our clients were told to stay home from
> work."
>
> Evangelical minister Pat Robertson founded the Christian Coalition in
> 1989 with the purpose of getting Christians more active in politics.
>
> The Coalition rose to prominence under the leadership of conservative
> activist Ralph Reed but lost some political clout, along with many of
> the organization's employees, after he left in 1997.
>
> The lawsuit seeks millions of dollars in compensatory and punitive damages.
>
> Christian Coalition Executive Director Roberta Combs did not return
> calls for comment at press time.