The lawsuit comes on the heels of the founder’s “Black Girl Code” firing earlier this month.
Black Girls Code, a nonprofit organization that promotes technology education among black young girls, is suing its founder and former CEO, Kimberly Bryant, for “unlawful hijacking” of the company’s website after the board of directors removed her from her position earlier this month. According to a copy of the lawsuit obtained by NBC News, Bryant is accused of taking a series of “inappropriate actions” after she was fired, including shutting down the organization’s website, which now redirects users to a press release titled “Save Black Girls Code.”
According to the lawsuit, “Days after her termination, Bryant caused administrative credentials to be used to hijack BGC’s website… which displayed a self-serving press release that disclosed BGC’s confidential and privileged information.” Bryant told NBC News that the most recent allegations “are without merit” and that she intends to “vigorously defend herself against them.” The lawsuit adds to the organization’s ongoing turmoil after Bryant was fired in early August after more than a decade in the position. According to the lawsuit, Bryant is seeking to be reinstated as CEO and board member, as well as unspecified compensatory damages.
According to court documents obtained by NBC News, Bryant filed an amended federal lawsuit on Aug. 11 accusing board members of defamation, retaliation, and wrongful termination from her position as CEO. She claims in her lawsuit that she was wrongfully removed and excluded from Black Girls Code and that the organization’s board members wrongfully gained access to her Wells Fargo account, which Bryant opened in January 2012 for Black Girls Code as an unincorporated sole proprietorship. According to Bryant’s lawsuit, when Black Girls Code’s donations increased, Hiles “became more active in her role as a director.” Bryant claims that “Hiles sought to profit from BGC’s expansion and increased funding for her own personal gain.”
“It is certainly our intention, and my intention as the founder of this organization… that I will be rightfully reinstated,” Bryant told NBC News over the phone Thursday. “It hurts me terribly. A Black Girls Code spokesperson denied allegations of theft from the Wells Fargo account. “Ms. Bryant’s assertion about the Wells Fargo account is incorrect. “This is not her personal account,” a Black Girls Code spokesperson told NBC News in an email. “BGC donations go to the organization, not to Ms. Bryant personally.”
Bryant went on to say that her dismissal was the result of bad actors infiltrating the organization with “self-serving motives” in order to benefit from Black Girls Code’s resources. Heather Hiles, one of the board members named in the lawsuit, has denied the allegations. Hiles, who uses the pronouns “they” and “them,” told NBC News that she has “zero intention or desire” to take over the organization. “Never in a million years would I have imagined enriching myself through Black Girls Code… I’m not sure why I became a bad actor, other than I care about how our current and former employees were treated.
A Black Girls Code spokesperson declined to comment on behalf of the other board members named in the lawsuit. Bryant is fighting to reclaim her position, but she is also concerned about the organization’s future under the current board. She claims that the board she appointed must be removed in order to protect her legacy. “They are not good representatives of this organization, which was created to support and elevate young black girls,” she said. “The decision and the events of Friday were both devastating.”
Bryant founded Black Girls Code, a multimillion-dollar nonprofit, in 2011 to address the lack of representation of black women and girls in the tech field. According to Bryant’s lawsuit, the company became embroiled in controversy last year when allegations of Bryant’s creating a toxic work environment began to circulate. According to the lawsuit filed by Black Girls Code, Bryant was then placed on administrative paid leave in December 2021 to review complaints against her. According to TechCrunch, two former employees resigned from the organization because of Bryant’s “rooted in fear” leadership style. Bryant’s departure comes after at least three years of high turnover in the organization.