Author sues book publisher who dropped her after she shamed Black MTA worker for eating on train
Natasha Tynes, the woman who lost her book deal after snitching on a Black transit worker who was catching a bite to eat on a train in a tweet that went viral, is now suing her publisher and blaming them for her downfall.
—Author shames Black DC Metro employee for eating on train, book launch postponed—
Rare Bird Lit decided to distance itself from the author after she shamed a Black woman for eating on her way to work.
“When you’re on your morning commute & see @wmata employee in UNIFORM eating on the train I thought we were not allowed to eat on the train. This is unacceptable. Hope @wmata responds.”
The social media backlash agains the writer was swift and soon her publisher was feeling the heat and decided to drop the author.
Tynes “did something truly horrible today in tweeting a picture of a metro worker eating her breakfast on the train this morning and drawing attention to her employer,” Rare Birds said in a statement. “Black women face a constant barrage of this kind of inappropriate behavior directed toward them and a constant policing of their bodies.”
Tynes has now filed a $13.4 million-dollar lawsuit against Rare Bird Lit blaming the publisher for breach of contract and defamation, USA Today reports.
Tynes, a Jordanian-American writer, reportedly claims in the suit that she has been forced to leave the country amid death threats and online harassment and racial slurs.
Tynes said she has endured “extreme emotional distress” and had to be hospitalized for chest pains, severe anxiety and suicidal thoughts, according to the lawsuit.
The author said Rare Bird is an ‘an all-white company,’ that is benefiting from characterizing her as a racist “immigrant woman of color.”
Rare Bird’s attorney David S. Eisen told USA Today said that Tynes caused these issues on her own.
“It is ironic that, having taken advantage of her First Amendment rights with an ill-advised tweet, Ms. Tynes now seeks to stifle and punish use of those very same rights of a respected book publisher who legitimately expressed its opinions of her conduct, rather than take responsibility for her own actions,” Eisien said.
