A white woman fired after she called police on a Black man watching birds in New York City's Central Park two years ago lost her discrimination case against her former employer earlier this week.
On May 25, 2020, Amy Cooper was captured on video accusing Christian Cooper of threatening her life after he asked her to leash her dog.
The two are not related.
After the video was posted to social media, on May 26, 2020, Franklin Templeton, the investment firm Amy Cooper worked at, fired her, CBS News and USA Today reported.
The company confirmed her termination in a tweet saying, "We do not tolerate racism of any kind," the media outlets reported.
In 2021, Amy Cooper sued the company, accusing them of racial and gender discrimination when they fired her, the media outlets reported.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams ruled that her dismissal was legal, according to the news outlets.
In a 17-page ruling, Abrams said that “an accusation of bigotry is a protected statement of opinion, rather than a defamatory statement of fact capable of being proven true or false," USA Today reported.
In a statement to the news outlets, the investment firm said, "We are pleased that the court has dismissed the lawsuit. We continue to believe the company responded appropriately."
