BHS Appeals Racial Discrimination Ruling

Brown Harris Stevens of the Hamptons will have to pay former agent Shauncy Claud nearly $1 million if it loses an appeal it filed earlier this week.

The figure includes an $800,000 judgment awarded to Claud, who sued the firm in 2018, alleging she was fired for complaining about discriminatory behavior, according to Inman. If BHSH loses its appeal, it’ll have to pay nearly $200,000 in attorney’s fees and expenses, bringing the grand total to just under $1 million.

Neither Claud nor BHS responded to Inman’s request for comment.

In her ruling, judge Nina R. Morrison found “BHSH’s proffered reason for Claud’s termination was wholly pretextual” in an effort to cover up its retaliation against Claud for complaining of discrimination.

Claud, who is Black, sued the brokerage in 2018, alleging her manager, Robert Nelson, made comments about her race and treated her differently than her colleagues.

Nelson was accused of making “uncomfortable” comments to her about her race, including telling her she was “the only Black agent in the Hamptons” when she asked to have a conversation about her work. The complaint also said he referred to her as a “pitbull” who “likes to take things from others.”

Claud complained and was soon terminated, supposedly after a homeowner’s daughter called a senior executive to report “rude treatment” in a phone call with the broker.

The handling of Claud’s case by the Hamptons firm stands in stark contrast to the way the brokerage reacted to complaints about a star agent in the area. Christopher Burnside was sued for allegedly having sex with an agent on his team.

The suit came after Burnside had previously been mentioned in a 2019 complaint involving a different BHS broker filed with the New York Division of Licensing Service. In the complaint, a client alleged BHS broker Jane Holden steered his mother’s estate to Burnside’s wife, Rebecca Fenimore, at a generous discount. The contract fell through after the client complained.

— Harrison Connery