Allegheny County Courthouse
PITTSBURGH – A city worker who helped Pittsburgh prepare to host last month’s NFL draft is suing over a viral clip of him supposedly slacking at work, though he says he was actually on his lunch break.
Kedrin Turner sued Marty Griffin and Audacy, an internet radio platform, last week in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Griffin posted to Facebook on April 8 a four-minute video of Turner, an employee of the Department of Public Works, and his coworkers on their lunch break, the suit says.
“You gotta watch this!,” the caption reads. “Pittsburgh Public Works crew! Reddin up for The NFL Draft? NAH! This resident called em out for ‘standing around’ and ‘screwing off.’”
The post by Griffin, a radio host on Audacy who mentioned it on his show, generated significant attention. The suit says as of May 7, it had been viewed 236,000 times, with comments like “DEI in action. Raises and promotions incoming.”
Turner’s lawsuit calls the video misleading and meant to paint him and his coworkers “in a disparaging light.”
“Defendants posted about Plaintiff on a public Facebook page with a following of 117,000 users,” the suit says. “Defendants knew or should have known that Plaintiff and his work crew were not idle while being expected to work.”
The suit makes claims for invasion of privacy and negligence. Audacy is alleged to have failed to train, monitor and supervise its radio hosts and to have “failed to release a statement exculpating Plaintiff from harassment in response to the false statements made by the media outlets.”
Tanner Harris represents Turner.
