'Central Park Karen' Amy Cooper Loses Lawsuit Against Ex-Employer

NEW YORK CITY — Amy Cooper, the dog-walker who rose to infamy for accosting a Black birdwatcher in Central Park more than two years ago, has lost a lawsuit in which she accused her former employer of unjustly firing her in the wake of the controversy.

Cooper's suit against the investment firm Franklin Templeton was dismissed on Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams, more than a year after Cooper first took the company to court over her termination.

Amy Cooper had worked as an insurance portfolio manager before the May 25, 2020 incident, in which she called the police and accused birdwatcher Christian Cooper of threatening her. Hours after the caught-on-video exchange at the Central Park Ramble, the company pledged to conduct a review, and fired her the following day.

In her suit, Cooper said Franklin Templeton racially discriminated against her by perpetuating an image of her "as a privileged white female 'Karen' caught on video verbally abusing an African American male with no possible reason other than the color of his skin."

Her complaint also took aim at Christian Cooper, saying he had in fact escalated the exchange as a "birdwatcher with a history of aggressively confronting dog owners in Central Park who walked their dogs without a leash."

But Abrams dismissed the discrimination claim, ruling that Franklin Templeton made no public statements that referred to Amy Cooper's race and that she failed to prove she had been treated any differently from "similarly situated employees."

A separate claim of defamation was also tossed, as Abrams ruled Franklin Templeton was only expressing an opinion by suggesting her actions were racist.

In a statement to other news outlets after Amy Cooper filed her suit last year, Franklin Templeton said that "the circumstances of the situation speak for themselves" and that "the Company responded appropriately.

"We will defend against these baseless claims,” the company added.

After initially charging Cooper with falsely reporting an incident, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance dropped the charges in early 2021 after she completed a restorative justice program.

Christian Cooper, meanwhile, was named this year as the new host of a Natural Geographic television show — the latest addition to his long resume, which also includes freelance writer and editor, and first openly gay comic book author at Marvel Comics.

Video footage of the Memorial Day incident was shared widely after being posted to Facebook by Christian Cooper's sister. In the video, the birdwatcher remains calm as Amy Cooper frantically tells police that she is in danger.

At the beginning of the video, Christian Cooper asks Amy Cooper not to approach him and says, "please call the cops" and "tell them whatever you like" after her initial threat to do so.

"I'm in the Ramble and there's a man — African-American — he has a bicycle helmet. He's recording me and threatening me and my dog," Cooper could be heard telling a dispatcher. "I'm being threatened by a man in the Ramble, please send the cops immediately."

Amy Cooper faced a swift cultural backlash for her actions, with observers arguing that she was attempting to inflict violence on Christian Cooper by summoning police to search for him. Cooper lost her job despite issuing a public apology on national news.

Christian Cooper, for his part, expressed ambivalence about efforts to charge Amy Cooper, writing in a Washington Post op-ed that he would not aid the prosecution, which he said "lets white people off the hook" for broader issues of systemic racism.

Related coverage:

• Christian Cooper, Central Park Birdwatcher, Gets Own TV Show
• Charges Against 'Central Park Karen' Amy Cooper Dismissed: DA
• Amy Cooper Hit With 2nd Charge Of False 911 Call On Black Birder
• Black Birdwatcher Police Call Inspires Bias Bill
• Dog Returned To Woman Who Called Cops On Black Birdwatcher