Hakuhodo Ad Agency Sued on Charges of Bias
A former executive with Hakuhodo Advertising America filed suit Friday against his former employer alleging employment discrimination and wrongful discharge.
Kent C. Cooper charged that the company discriminated against him on the basis of his non-Japanese ancestry, forced him to deliver cash bribes and to bill clients for work that was never performed.
Cooper served as vice president and director of public relations at the Los Angeles office until Nov. 29, 1989, when nine employees were said to have been laid off in a cost-cutting measure.
A Hakuhodo spokeswoman had no comment.
In the suit, Cooper claims that he “was subjected to a barrage of repeated, degrading, racist, anti-American comments, abuse and misconduct.”
In April and May, 1989, Cooper was asked to “secretly and personally transmit what appeared to be large sums of American cash wrapped in plain envelopes” to a company called Recruit U.S.A. Inc., the suit said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
