B. Scott may have lost his initial court battle with BET, but the war with the network is far from over. Reportedly, BET recently offered B. Scott a small settlement to squash the legal drama once and for all. However, B. Scott has turned them down and wants to continue the battle in court.
The drama all began last year when B. Scott, who identifies as transgender, filed a gender identity discrimination lawsuit against BET, claiming that they forced him to ditch his more feminine clothes and wear men’s clothes at last year’s BET Awards where he was an on-air correspondent.
B. Scott lost his case back in April and the responsibility of BET’s lawyer’s fees fell squarely on his shoulders. According to court documents, BET’s attorney’s fees totaled to $279,000 but the network offered to charge B. Scott only $15,000 if he would promise not to appeal the judge’s ruling.
B. Scott has reportedly declined the offer and filed an appeal, as he promised when he first lost the case. “No one will tell me who I should be, how I should present myself, or what I do with my life,” he told TMZ.
BET is now demanding that B. Scott pay at least $150,000 of their attorney’s fees.
We’re not sure how this battle will end, but considering that B. Scott already lost once, we’re not too confident that he’ll win the second time around. Regardless, we commend him for fighting against BET’s alleged gender discrimination against him. –nicholas robinson
