Todd Mastry, the former executive director of the Landers Center in Southaven, has filed a federal lawsuit over claims of being fired due to his refusal to discriminate against Black artists. The suit alleges that county officials sought to prevent "Black acts" such as rapper Lil Wayne from performing at the center, citing concerns over the audience that these performances might draw from nearby Memphis. This information comes according to a report from WREG, which details that two DeSoto County supervisors were involved in articulating these racial discriminations.
In the lawsuit filed last Friday, Mastry has named members of the DeSoto County Board of Supervisors and the DeSoto County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), accusing them of violating the Civil Rights Act. Mastry, who was fired on Jan. 6 during a special meeting of the CVB's Board of Directors, specifically cites Supervisor Mark Gardner for telling him to stop booking "Black acts," as stated in an article from the Daily Memphian.
The lawsuit came less than a month after the terminations of both Mastry and Landers Center CFO Jason Morgan, with no mention made in the filing as to why Morgan was let go. The legal action is taken with a view of seeking financial damages and claims that in addition to clear racism, Mastry suffered wrongful termination after he brought events that significantly raised the venue's revenue from $2.6 million in 2008 to $11.5 million in 2022. Despite increasing the Landers Center's profitability, Mastry alleges he was dismissed for his stand against discrimination, as reported by WREG.
While attorneys for all involved parties, including Mastry and officials named in the suit, did not immediately respond to requests for comment, the CVB Board President Amy Lovorn declined to comment at the time, as per Commercial Appeal.
