Sources say that Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz’s former staffer and long time ally Camella Pinkney-Price has quietly dropped the racial discrimination lawsuit she filed after she was dismissed from her $82,000-a-year job as deputy chief of staff to Diaz in 2013. Insiders knew the lawsuit to be baseless and expected today’s outcome.
In response to media inquiries, John DeSio, communications director for Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. released a statement saying,
“As public servants, we have an obligation to fight meritless law suits. This case has been withdrawn, discontinued and dismissed with prejudice. We are pleased with the outcome and that public monies were not squandered in an unwarranted settlement.”
In a telephone interview, Ms. Pinkney-Price said she withdrew her lawsuit after seeing documents showing that Diaz did not act in a discriminatory manner when he fired her. “When I saw additional documents I learned that my dismissal was not based solely on (racial) discrimination, I decided to withdraw,” said Pinkney-Price. She acknowledged that certain information is privileged and is precluded from discussing it.
The news that Price has dropped her lawsuit comes at a time when Diaz’s name is being raised a future citywide, ie, mayoral, candidate in 2021, if not sooner. Last year, Diaz co-chaired Governor Andrew Cuomo’s re-election campaign.
Sources say that the case was withdrawn with prejudice and that Ms. Pinkney-Price is precluded from refiling it at a later date.
Since her dismissal, Ms. Pinkney-Price has been a thorn in the side of her former ally. She has filed with the NYC Campaign Finance Board as a 2017 candidate for Bronx Borough President. To-date, Pinkney-Price has raised only $4540 in campaign donations.
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