'Lion King' actor fired on first day of paternity leave sues Disney - New York Post

An histrion fired from Broadway’s “The Lion King” connected his archetypal time of paternity permission has accused Disney successful a caller suit of violating his quality rights.

William James Jr claims helium was fired, successful part, successful retaliation for aggregate complaints helium made astir the show’s accumulation manager Ameenah Kaplan, according to a ailment filed Thursday successful Manhattan Supreme Court.

James, who was successful the ensemble formed and was an understudy for the starring relation of Mufasa, claims Kaplan bullied him and made “unwelcome advances” connected the histrion during the amended portion of James’s clip successful the cast.

Since joining the squad successful 2018, 1 twelvemonth aft James did, Kaplan flirted with the histrion and invited him retired to drinks, the suit alleges.

In February 2019, Kaplan began “unreasonably” berating James and threatened to bounds his performances, according to the suit.

James claims Ameenah Kaplan bullied him portion besides making unwelcome advances.Robb Sapp/The Conscience Cloud

In December of that year, Kaplan publically taunted James aft uncovering retired astir the actor’s complaints against him, provoking an statement for which lone James was reprimanded, helium alleges successful the lawsuit.

After an investigation, Disney told James that it recovered the harassment claims to beryllium baseless. James accused the elephantine institution of “sweeping (his) complaints nether the rug.”

“Disney & Lion King absorption allowed maine to beryllium SEXUALLY HARASSED, STALKED, THREATENED, DISRESPECTED, TAUNTED, TORMENTED, GAS-LIT, BULLIED & INTENTIONALLY PLACED IN UNSAFE SITUATIONS by a sociopathic, manipulative & dangerously director,” James said successful a 2021 tweet.

As “revenge” for speaking out, Disney fired James connected the archetypal time of his paternity permission successful March 2020 portion the accumulation was connected its North American tour, helium says successful the suit. The termination was carried retired “in the astir callous mode astatine the astir unreasonable time” truthful arsenic to nonstop a connection to different employees.

With Post Wires