Singleton, who was then the senior manager of digital partnerships and business development, alleged her supervisor Philip Shafran repeatedly made comments about her race, including about how he was “blacker” than her because she hadn’t watched. She also detailed an incident in which another one of her supervisors at a company event called her a “crack whore” and remarked that she’s “never going to develop” anything because “there’s no basketball show to make.
A month after Singleton’s dismissal, Crandell claimed that Shaftan sexually assaulted her by taking a pictures up her skirt. She filed a police report with the Los Angeles Police Department after an investigation led to a company executive being placed on leave. The women, however, were unable to overcome binding agreements in their contracts that required them to arbitrate their claims — an issue that lawsuits alleging workplace harassment often encounter. The judge was unconvinced by their arguments they don’t have to arbitrate their claims because they signed their contracts with Cara Communications Corporation, which is under the umbrella of Vin Di Bona.