The EEOC backed the worker's claims — the alleged HR response is raising eyebrows
A former Roku employee is suing the streaming company, claiming HR brushed off her complaints of racial harassment — then fired her.
Jolie Parham, a 25-year-old Black woman who worked as an account coordinator at Roku's New York office, filed a federal lawsuit on April 10 alleging race and disability discrimination, retaliation, and whistleblower retaliation. The case, Parham v. Roku, Inc. et al. (No. 1:26-cv-02971, S.D.N.Y.), names the company along with two individuals: Cody Frankel, a senior manager, and Heather Link, a senior account executive.
According to the filing, Parham joined Roku in April 2024 and quickly distinguished herself — receiving a raise within months, training seventeen fellow coordinators, and earning praise from her first manager for what was described as "exceptional dedication to excellence."
But the filing paints a different picture of her day-to-day experience. Parham alleges that Link, the account executive she was assigned to support, subjected her to persistent racially charged behavior. The filing describes incidents in which Parham says Link deliberately called her by wrong names — "Joelle," "Juliana," "Josephine," and at one point "Josh" — laughing almost every time. Parham also alleges Link made assumptions about her familiarity with drugs "because of who [Parham was]," and at a client outing, made offensive remarks about the varying colors of individuals' genitalia based on race.
What may matter most to HR professionals is what allegedly happened when Parham sought help internally.
The filing states that when Parham raised her concerns with a company HR representative, she was told: "I'm a business professional, not a camp counselor. Keep your head down and do your work, because at the end of the day we're all just here for a paycheck." In a later meeting, the same representative allegedly said: "I just don't want you telling anyone we didn't help you."
Parham claims Frankel, her manager, was similarly dismissive — telling her that her success at the company depended on "pleasing" Link, and later citing "memory retention issues" after Parham disclosed she suffered from chronic migraines. Parham says she disputes that characterization.
In February 2025, according to the filing, Parham was removed from all other teams and assigned exclusively to Link — the very person she had complained about. On March 31, 2025, Roku terminated her employment. That was one day before a scheduled follow-up meeting with HR, and just days before she was set to be 50 percent vested in her company shares.
The filing also alleges Parham raised concerns about what she believed was fabricated client data that may have violated FTC regulations, and that those concerns were also dismissed.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued a Letter of Determination on January 13, 2026, stating it found Roku engaged in employment discrimination in violation of Title VII and the ADA.
Parham's suit asserts sixteen causes of action and seeks compensatory damages believed to exceed $250,000, along with punitive damages, back pay, and front pay.
Roku has not yet filed a response, and no court has ruled on the merits of the case. The allegations remain untested.
