Lawsuit cites color-coded ratings, investigation findings and a hostile exit
A former Everlast e-commerce director is accusing the company and its parent of discrimination, harassment and a retaliatory firing.
In a filing dated November 25, 2025, in the federal court for the Southern District of New York, Charlene Richter says Everlast Worldwide Inc., Frasers Group, PLC and executive Christopher Cooke discriminated against her based on race, sex and national origin, created a hostile work environment, paid her less than comparable employees and then terminated her after she complained. These assertions come from her court filing; the court has not made any findings.
Richter, a 40-year-old Black female permanent resident of the United States, says she joined Everlast in October 2022 as an E-Commerce Manager at the company’s New York headquarters at 15 West 27th Street. In or about March 2023, after interviewing with senior management, she was selected for the E-Commerce Director role.
In that position, she says she was primarily responsible for developing, managing and executing Everlast’s e-commerce and digital business strategy. The filing describes duties that included creating product strategy and assortment to meet sales goals and increase online business, implementing an online strategy with senior management while managing the web profit and loss statement, monitoring key performance indicators and overseeing digital marketing to grow the shopper base and optimize the marketing budget.
According to the court papers, Richter reported to Everlast’s chief executive, Mark Hunter; Cooke, the Vice President of Operations North America; and Chris Zoller, Vice President of Marketing and Product. The filing notes a prior sexual harassment and gender discrimination matter involving Zoller and a female employee, which it says put the defendants on notice of supervisory conduct issues.
Richter contends that once Cooke began supervising her, he imposed performance metrics that were difficult to meet given Everlast’s internal structure and processes, sent quick follow-up messages if she did not respond immediately and created what she describes as “highly unrealistic expectations.” She says this interfered with her ability to complete projects, including a Shopify Plus project.
Around February 2024, the filing says, Cooke introduced a “color-coded” rating system for assignments. In that system, the color black was used to indicate failure or the need for urgent action, while white signified “Very Good/Above Target.” Richter, described as the only Black female, says she was the only employee assigned multiple black markers. The filing adds that the only other employee who received a negative black rating was another female, whose “bad” performance Cooke attributed to Richter, while male employees received more neutral colors or white regardless of project status.
Richter also recounts a March 13, 2024 one-on-one call in which Cooke allegedly blamed her, in an aggressive manner, for cyber-attack breaches and a website shutdown and insisted she should have recommended contacting the police. Later that day, she says, she emailed him to dispute those accusations but received no response.
On March 19, 2024, according to the filing, Richter submitted a written complaint to Everlast’s HR director describing harassment, bullying and targeting by Cooke and asking for an investigation. The company’s outside counsel later concluded that Cooke could “improve his approach to others as well as his self-awareness of how his communication style is perceived by others” and would benefit from coaching and training. Richter alleges the review did not address whether non-Black or male employees were treated in the same way and that no effective remedial action was taken.
The filing states that Richter was terminated on May 22, 2024, without any legitimate business purpose and was offered two weeks of salary as severance. She contrasts that with what she describes as several months of pay given to white male counterparts to transition out of their roles. She further alleges that on the day she was dismissed, Cooke followed her to the elevator, berated her and physically blocked her from exiting the office, causing her to fear for her safety.
Richter says she filed a Charge of Discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on June 7, 2025, received a Notice of Right to Sue on August 27, 2025 and brought this federal action within 90 days.
She is seeking back pay, front pay, other lost compensation and benefits, damages for physical and emotional distress, punitive damages and other legal and equitable relief. The case remains at an early stage, and all of the allegations have yet to be tested in court.
