WWL Radio officials are now claiming that radio host Seth Dunlap was responsible for sending a tweet containing a homophobic slur from the station’s official Twitter account. They are also claiming that Dunlap demanded over $1.8 million in compensation.
The allegations were filed as part of a New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) police report summarizing allegations made by WWL’s Senior Vice President Kevin Cassidy and attorneys from the station’s parent corporation, Entercom.
In an official statement, Dunlap’s lawyer, Megan Kiefer labeled WWL’s allegations as “false, defamatory, and self-serving.”
“The lie detector test that Mr. Dunlap voluntarily took and passed speaks for itself. Mr. Dunlap categorically denies he was responsible for this tweet and the lie detector results prove that, in addition to the fact that it is undisputed that he did not have access to the WWL Twitter account, nor did he have the password for same. As of today, Entercom still has produced no documents to us or the public to substantiate their defamatory claims despite repeated requests for same. Incredibly, the last sentence of the police report states that they have even refused to produce documentation to NOPD.”
The last sentence of the police report reads: “As of 7:44 p.m. [Mon. Sept. 24], Officer [Elaine] Broussard had yet to receive any documents from the Entercom New Orleans legal team regarding this incident.” In a statement, NOPD Senior Public Information Officer Gary Scheets stated that the NOPD investigation into WWL’s claims is open and active.
“It is truly reprehensible that [WWL/Entercom] would be attempting to blame the victim of its own anti-LGBT culture, and they are only compounding the severe damage that Mr. Dunlap has experienced at the hands of Entercom,” Kiefer said.
According to Kiefer, Entercom approached Dunlap to discuss settlement and acknowledged that they had cleared Dunlap from any responsibility for the tweet, contrary to what was published earlier today in The New Orleans Advocate/Times-Picayune. During the meeting, which occurred on September 24, 2019, Kiefer claims that Entercom interviewed Dunlap for over an hour before “unethically, improperly, and illegally accusing him of extortion in order to scare him into accepting little to no compensation for the company’s actions.” It was only after those settlement negotiations broke down as a result that Entercom referred the matter to the NOPD.
“Mr. Dunlap welcomes the NOPD investigation, and is thankful the investigation is finally in the hands of an independent agency,” Kiefer states.
News of WWL Radio’s allegations broke just minutes after Dunlap and his attorney issued a statement claiming an “appalling history of discrimination” at WWL Radio throughout his career there.
You can read Kiefer’s full statement below:
Jenn Bentley is a freelance journalist and editor whose work has also been featured in publications such as Wander N.O. More, The High Tech Society, FansShare, Yahoo News, Examiner.com, and others. Follow her on Twitter: @JennBentley_
