A federal jury has ordered Detroit media executive Kevin Adell and his company, The Word Network, to pay over $62 million in a racial discrimination case. The verdict mandates a payment of $62.2 million to Bishop George Bloomer, a Black pastor formerly employed by Adell's religious network, following a 2022 discrimination case.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Bishop Bloomer against Adell and The Word Network, alleges that Bloomer’s firing in 2019 was the culmination of a "racially discriminatory, harassing, and retaliatory hostile work environment." This environment reportedly began with Adell’s sharing of a racially offensive meme. According to the complaint, the meme first appeared in an online article published on babylon-today.com titled “Black Gospel Network PIMP Kevin Adell.” The image depicted Adell, a 59-year-old Bloomfield Hills resident, dressed as a "pimp" in a white fur coat, standing in front of four Black clergy members, including Bishop Bloomer.
The complaint details that Adell shared the doctored photo with Bishop Bloomer via text message, initially without any context. Bishop Bloomer responded to the image, stating, “That’s not funny at all.” Adell then replied with “Lol.” Bishop Bloomer then expressed his concerns more fully, explaining that the image had a "racist connotation." He urged Adell to remove it quickly, stating that it was "not funny" and that it was "equivalent to a black face being put on a white man."
Attorneys representing Bishop Bloomer further alleged that Adell continued to provoke their client following this exchange. This included Adell reportedly asking Bishop Bloomer about the meme in the presence of network leaders and continuing to send images connected to the meme via text message. At one point, Adell allegedly told Bishop Bloomer that he was "the only one upset about the meme." The lawsuit also claims that Adell threatened to limit Bishop Bloomer’s airtime in retaliation for his complaints regarding the meme. These actions, the lawsuit asserts, created a hostile work environment that ultimately led to Bishop Bloomer’s separation of employment from The Word Network.
During the proceedings, Adell reportedly stated that Bishop Bloomer resigned from his position because he desired more airtime. The complaint also notes an instance where Adell stated Bishop Bloomer was fired for misappropriating funds from The Word Network.
Following a five-day trial and one day of deliberations, the jury concluded that Bishop Bloomer had indeed been subjected to a hostile work environment, retaliation, and discrimination. A spokesperson for Adell told Local 4 on Thursday that Adell has no comment on the case at this time.