Flynn Family Office sued by ex-employee after exec called Rihanna hot because 'she is not too dark'

Home Top

Banker celebrates creating his own $20billlion company by buying and TEARING DOWN the $43million Hamptons mansion of his former Goldman Sachs boss who refused to promote him
Dog the Bounty Hunter's stepdaughter is arrested for 'robbing a bank' as he reveals his family's heartbreak at her 'life of crime'
Judge rules 'Happy Birthday' IS in the public domain: Music company that has been collecting royalties for years does not own the copyright to lyrics
Revealed: The FBI 'has recovered secret emails deleted from Hillary Clinton's private computer server'
Chinese jet nearly collides with American spy plane gathering intelligence off China's coast in dangerous mid-air interception
Could YOU spot a cheater? Study finds men can tell which women are more likely to have affairs just by looking at their faces
What would Jesus have been driven in? Dwarfed by massive secret service SUVs, Pope Francis is a big man in a little car as he's driven away in a tiny Fiat 500 after arriving in the U.S.
Pope spent awkward minutes waiting at the open door of his plane as Obama crossed the tarmac - but it was all because of protocol, White House say
Huckabee blasts White House's guest list for the Pope as 'politicized cattle call' as ex-nun sacked from Catholic school for her lesbian marriage is latest invitee
Jeb Bush says Pope is reminder of need for 'religious freedom' in coded attack on Obama
First daughters Sasha and Malia Obama skip classes to meet Pope Francis
The Pontiff and the President: Pope Francis arrives in America for the first time ever to a greeting from the entire First Family
I ain't talkin' to you, darling! 'Condescending' Robert De Niro walks out of interview about his latest film The Intern after taking offense at reporter's questions
PIERS MORGAN: If Robert De Niro wants to be treated like the genius he still thinks he is, he should try making his first decent movie for two decades
Dramatic moment Israeli soldier pointed his rifle at veiled Palestinian student... who was shot dead moments later for attempting to stab a checkpoint guard
US General denies there is a policy to ignore the sexual abuse of little boys in Afghanistan after a marine was gunned down by teen 'being kept as a sex slave by the local police chief'
Rapper boyfriend who 'murdered Morgan Freeman's granddaughter in violent rage' pleads not guilty to charges as prosecutors say she was stabbed 25 times
Blackmail selfie? Be my guest: Bed photo of NHL star, 43, who told 18-year-old model 'who tried to extort him' that he couldn't care less becomes an instant meme
Mom says school 'racially profiled' her white daughter who has dreadlocks after she was sent home and told to remove them
Don't sit still! Fidgeting may be good for you: Restless movements found to counter adverse effects of sitting for long periods
Sean Penn sues director Lee Daniels for $10million for likening him to wife-beater Terrence Howard
Transgender woman details ordeal TSA put her through after she went through the female line and the bodyscanner picked up her 'anomaly'
Trump mocked by rapper on the Late Show and forced to duck Obama 'birther' question but Colbert admits The Donald is 'setting the world on fire'
Ben Carson believes the Big Bang is a 'fairy tale' and Darwin's theory of evolution is the work of the devil

Robert Solomon filed suit for unfair dismissal against Flynn Family Office in New York
Claims he was fired for objecting to racist and sexist comments by staff
Alleges one called their client Rihanna hot because 'she is not too dark'
Accuses others of discussing attractiveness of females based on their skin color

Published: 05:20 EST, 22 September 2015 | Updated: 11:06 EST, 22 September 2015

155

View
comments

A lawsuit alleges that a New York financial management firm that has Rihanna as a client, called her hot as she is 'not too dark'

An executive at a New York-based financial management firm that counts Rihanna as one of its clients called the singer hot because she's 'not too dark', according to allegations in court papers.

Robert Solomon, 42, has filed a lawsuit against Flynn Family Office, where he used to work as the company's marketing head, claiming he was fired for objecting to racist and sexist remarks.

It is also thought the company's other clients include actresses Katie Holmes and Tory Burch as well as TV presenter Kelly Ripa.

The papers filed in the Manhattan Federal Court by Mr Solomon also claim that he was mocked for being middle aged while working in the 'misogynistic and racist culture'.

According to the court papers, which have been seen by the New York Post, partner at the firm Alan Kufeld, regularly made comments about the attractiveness of women and the color of their skin.

The suit states how he made the remark about Rihanna not being 'too dark' while talking about which Caribbean nationalities are most attractive according to skin tone.

The papers also allege that Kufeld and the company's chief operating officer Rick Flynn would discuss the attractiveness of assistants with the partner remarking that one worker 'lost points in his eyes because she was too dark'.

Flynn is also accused of making comments to describe a female worker's appearance before saying f*** her, when she left her job weeks later.

Mr Solomon's lawyer Walker Harman told the Post: 'It's ironic and disturbing that an organisation that sought high-profile women as clients would have such a sexist and misogynistic culture.'

However, Mr Flynn defended his company saying the claims were without merit and would be vigorously defended.

He said: 'We at FFO have always championed the rights of women and minorities, particularly in the workplace.'

The papers also allege that the firm's partner Alan Kufeld, left, and the company's chief operating officer Rick Flynn, right, would discuss the attractiveness of assistants

Mr Flynn a veteran in helping wealthy families preserve their millions, launched his own family office business last year.

The firm counsels wealthy clients on a range of matters from selling their businesses to finding bodyguards and choosing the right investment manager.

It was set up to provide customized family wealth strategies that help with decisions from buying or selling a company to finding charities to donate to.