Fired minor league ump sues MLB, claiming he was sexually harassed by female colleague because he’s bisexual and faced discrimination from illegal quota system that promotes women and minorities

A fired minor league umpire sued Major League Baseball on Wednesday, alleging he was sexually harassed by a female umpire and discriminated against because he is male and bisexual.

Brandon Cooper, a referee who worked in the minor league Arizona Complex League last year, has filed a lawsuit in federal court in Manhattan against MLB and PDL Blue Inc., an affiliate.

“Historically, MLB has had a homogenous roster of umpires working in both the minor and major leagues,” the lawsuit alleged. “Specifically, no woman has ever worked a (regular) season game in the Majors until now, and most of the referees are still white men. To attempt to solve the gender and racial diversity problem, Defendants implemented an illegal diversity quota that requires women to be promoted regardless of merit.”

Cooper’s complaint states that he attended umpire training camps in 2022 and ’23 and that former umpire Ed Rapuano, now a umpire evaluator, and Darren Spagnardi, a umpire development supervisor, were told in January 2023 that MLB had removed at least two women from the had to include ten players. new tenants.

Cooper says he was invited to spring training in 2023, put together a taxi squad and was informed by Dusty Dellinger, senior manager of referee administration, that women and minority candidates should be hired first. Cooper was assigned to the ACL in late March and said he received a high rating in June from former big league umpire Jim Reynolds, now an umpire supervisor.

Cooper alleged that fellow referee Gina Quartararo, then in the ACL and now in the Florida State League, learned that Cooper was bisexual and mocked him and fellow referee Kevin Bruno with homophobic slurs and crude comments. Cooper said he notified Dellinger, after which he was told by MLB to undergo sensitivity training and later charged with violating the minor league’s anti-discrimination and harassment policy.

Billy Bean, MLB’s senior vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion, met with Cooper, the lawsuit said, and informed the umpire that Quartararo claimed she had been victimized as the only female umpire in the ACL. Cooper said he told Bean there was video evidence of Quartararo’s alleged misconduct, including physical action.

Cooper said he was passed over for the playoffs and fired in October, and he claimed he was the only one let go from the 26 referees in the group that was hired.

He alleged a hostile work environment and wrongful termination and/or retaliation because of gender and sexual orientation under New York state and city law. MLB is based in New York.

MLB declined to comment on pending litigation, spokesman Michael Teevan said, and also said it was trying to contact Quartararo to see if she wanted to comment. Quartararo was one of nine women working as minor league umpires this season.

Jen Pawol this year became the first woman to umpire Major League spring training since 2007 and works at Triple-A, one level below the Majors. She is in a position to serve as a vacation/injury replacement call-up for the major leagues.