Dewayne Walker, a Black employee who worked in CNN's creative marketing department for 16 years, has been fired from the company after filing a lawsuit against his white colleague who allegedly threatened him.

According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the alleged incident happened in August when Walker encountered CNN Vice President Whit Friese in the bathroom. Walker said that's when Friese threatened him, saying “If you f**k with my money, I’ll kill you.”

The statement was made following a discrimination lawsuit Walker filed against the company earlier this year.

CNN put Walker on paid administrative leave while investigating his latest allegation, saying the company made the decision for his safety. But Walker said the leave was hurting his career and he wanted to return to work, according to his November lawsuit.

The company then fired Walker after its investigation, saying he made a “false accusation to HR.”

According to CNN's statement, Walker “did not try to minimize harm. Instead, he spotlighted – forever on the Internet – his unfounded accusation against Friese.”

“Mr. Friese denied making any threatening comments to Mr. Walker or even speaking to him in well over a year because of false allegations Mr. Walker made against Mr. Friese in his first, subsequently dismissed, lawsuit,” the network said.

According to The New York Post, Walker has filed several lawsuits against the company since 2014, saying he wasn’t promoted because he's Black. However, all of Walker's previous discrimination lawsuits have been dismissed, AJC reported.

In his lawsuit, Walker said he wasn’t hired for any of the 31 positions he'd showed interest in at the company throughout his years there.

“As part of his barrage of complaints and legal claims, Walker has applied for an astonishing number of jobs both at CNN and at various affiliated corporate entities in an effort to manufacture race discrimination and retaliation claims,” CNN said in response to the suit.

In a statement to The Wrap, Walker’s representatives said: “the inherent injustice of this conclusion is evident."

"Two men walk into a room, one Black, one white, an act of violence occurs, and only the white man’s version of events is credited," the reps said. "This tale is as old as our nation and as American as our nation’s racism. Mr. Walker’s lawsuit is ongoing and he will continue to hold CNN accountable for its pattern of race-based discrimination and retaliation.”

The court reportedly canceled a hearing after it originally planned to consider reinstating Walker back to work.

Whit Friese

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