The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art asserted that it did not violate the free speech rights of Kate Riotte, a former curatorial administrator who claimed she was fired in 2021 for questioning the institution’s Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion policies, according to a filing submitted in federal court Monday.
The Wadsworth filed the document on June 12 in the U.S. District Court of Connecticut in response to Riotte’s civil lawsuit in the District of Connecticut. In the document, the museum requested court to dismiss Riotte’s complaint with prejudice and award the reimbursement of its costs and attorney fees.
The museum also accused Riotte of breaking the law by making “surreptitious recording of private telephonic communications without consent.” If proven, Riotte would be in violation of the state’s eavesdropping law, which requires “consent of all parties is required to avoid potential civil liability”. The museum told Law360, which first reported the news of the filing Tuesday, that recording calls was against company policy.
In the filing, the museum asserted that the phone recording limits Riotte’s possible damages due to the after-acquired evidence defense, a legal principle that allows employers to introduce evidence of fireable misconduct found after the termination of an employee.
The Center for Individual Rights, a conservative-leaning nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. filed the lawsuit on behalf of Riotte in March and amended it in May. Michael...
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