The first stages of a trial against American Idol and its promoters kicked off October 6 as Judge Naomi Buchwald heard oral arguments alleging that the show partook in racial discrimination over the course of its existence. The suit is being brought by 12 former contestants, all black, who believe that they never actually had a shot in the "false" competition, according to Billboard.
"This was marketed as a bona fide competition where the contestants would be judged as singers," said attorney James Freeman. "We believe that is not what it was. Moreover, when the singers signed up, it was not foreseeable that producers would do background checks on them and leak it to the press. They used the background data without consent and had rap sheets pulled by databases used by law enforcement and security organizations."
That quote summed up the core of the contestants' arguments, as research conducted by one of the plaintiffs confirmed that Fox had used databases to conduct background checks on contestants. Whether his allegations that blacks in particular were singled out, or that Fox intentionally leaked past criminal activity to TMZ and other sources to humiliate them, remains to be seen. Buchwald did not immediately conclude the databases were illegal but acknowledged that it "offends me on some level."
The major case against Freeman's clients is that the statute of limitations for discrimination charges was four years, a span that only one of the dozen plaintiffs apply for. However Freeman argues that the statute should be applied to when Jermaine Jones, a Season 11 contestant, who commissioned the study cited as a major piece of evidence during 2011...well within the statute of limitations.
Of course, there's also the contract signed by contestants who appeared on the program that allowed producers act in whatever way they saw fit.
Only one plaintiff showed up for the oral arguments: Corey Clark, a contestant from Season 2...which was of course won by Ruben Studdard. Through 13 complete seasons, three African-Americans have won American Idol, plus Jordin Sparks, whose father is black.
