King filed a complaint against ICANN on August 13, 2024 alleging 14 causes of action from Wrongful Termination to Gender Violence, Represalias, and Defamation.

The complaint alleges that “Plaintiff Tanzanica King is ICANN’s second longest tenured employee with a stellar 22-year history. In exchange for her dedication, she has been subjected to the frat boy culture, having been repeatedly passed over for promotions, paid lower salaries than male colleagues, sexually harassed, and then wrongfully terminated for blowing the whistle. For all its poetic waxing of gender equality, ICANN is a rotted apple veiled by a thin shiny veneer.”

Plaintiff is also suing the alleged harasser, Nick Tomasso, and Allison Michael who allegedly intentionally covered up the harassment from the Board of Directors using her influence with other ICANN employees.

The complaint alleges that King was terminated from ICANN while on an unpaid leave of absence due to ICANN’s “downsizing.” ICANN alleges that the termination was for cost cutting and not in retaliation for Ms. King’s complaints about gender inequality at ICANN.

King is seeking $77,000,000 in damages and punitive damages to make sure ICANN does not treat other women the same way in the future.

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