A former public relations manager for the Chicago Blackhawks filed a discrimination lawsuit against the team this week, alleging he was wrongfully fired after sharing his experiences as a gay man in an article with Outsports, a site covering LGBTQ+ sports news.
Anthony Filomena, the former employee, filed the suit Thursday in federal court. He was hired as the manager of public relations in July 2022 and fired in May 2024, a day after complaining to a supervisor that he was being criticized for participating in the interview, the lawsuit said.
A spokesperson for the Blackhawks denied that Filomena being fired had anything to do with his sexual orientation.
“Mr. Filomena was terminated for cause due to multiple instances of misconduct over a period of six months,” the spokesperson said. “He received multiple written communications outlining expectations including a formal, final written warning prior to his dismissal. His termination was solely due to continued misconduct and disregard for our company policies.”
The lawsuit, however, alleged that Filomena experienced “hostile and aggressive actions” from a supervisor who treated him differently because he’s gay. It said the supervisor retaliated against Filomena for reporting him to human resources by “yelling and berating him” in his office loud enough for others to hear and claiming he was “not doing his job.”
In April 2024, the lawsuit said Filomena was asked to share his experience with Outsports of being a gay man working for the Blackhawks. He got approval directly from CEO Danny Wirtz, who said it would be “beneficial” for the team’s reputation with the LGBTQ+ community, the suit alleged. In the article, published April 29, 2024, Filomena said the Blackhawks helped him rediscover his passion for sports in a welcoming environment.
However, three days later, another senior employee told Filomena that a “very difficult conversation needed to be had” and that the brand and marketing department was “angry” about the article, the lawsuit alleged. Filomena told a supervisor that he believed the criticism was due to his sexual orientation and that he got approval from Wirtz to participate in the article, the lawsuit states.
The following day, on May 3, he was fired, the lawsuit said, despite a “perfect rating” on his performance review a month prior. His termination letter said he didn’t have authorization to participate in the article, the suit alleged.
“(The Blackhawks’) stated reasons for termination — alleged policy violations and performance
deficiencies — were either fabricated, exaggerated or not the actual basis for the decision,” the lawsuit said.
Filomena has suffered “mental anguish, emotional distress, humiliation and loss of enjoyment of life” since the firing, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit comes after Filomena filed a discrimination charge with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in July 2024. The agency issued Filomena a right to sue over his charge in May. He’s seeking back pay, front pay, lost benefits, compensatory damages and attorneys’ fees.
The Blackhawks are also embroiled in a former player’s negligence lawsuit. The former member of the Hawks’ 2009-10 “Black Aces” squad alleged that the team was negligent in how it handled sexual assault and harassment complaints in 2010 against then-video coach Brad Aldrich.