Judge Orders Fired Broad Museum Employee to Arbitrate Discrimination Claims

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has ruled that a former Broad museum employee’s claims of wrongful termination and discrimination based on age and race must be handled through arbitration rather than a jury trial.

Richard Mitchell, 65, filed suit in January against The Broad, alleging he was fired in April 2024 by the museum’s former chief operating officer because she considered him an “old white male.” Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Gary D. Roberts granted The Broad’s motion to compel arbitration during a May 22 hearing, halting the lawsuit pending the arbitration’s outcome. A status conference is set for Dec. 3.

According to Mitchell’s complaint, he joined The Broad as chief engineer in 2015 and was later promoted to director of facilities. He claims that after a new COO, described in the lawsuit as a Latina, was hired in 2022, she displayed overt hostility, ignoring him and exhibiting negative body language. Mitchell alleges the COO expressed her distaste for having an “old white man” leading the facilities department and retaliated against him despite a human resources investigation finding no misconduct.

The lawsuit also accuses The Broad of failing to prevent retaliation and the COO of defamation for allegedly spreading false claims about Mitchell’s work performance. Mitchell’s attorneys initially resisted arbitration, arguing that he should not be bound by a 2015 employment agreement mandating that disputes be resolved through binding arbitration. However, the court sided with The Broad, enforcing the terms of the agreement.

The Broad’s attorneys contended in court filings that Mitchell was contractually obligated to arbitrate any employment-related disputes and that his refusal to do so was in breach of his agreement. The court’s decision effectively removes the case from a public courtroom, placing the outcome in the hands of an arbitrator.

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