Photo: TikTok - Lizzy Ashliegh
A New York lawyer has been fired after he was accused of yanking a wig off a Black woman's head in a viral TikTok video.
On Tuesday (May 30), Leader Berkon Colao & Silverstein law firm posted a statement on LinkedIn addressing the alleged viral incident involving Anthony Orlich, one of the company's now-former employees.
"We have been made aware of a video of a non-work related incident involving one of our associates circulating on social media. We take seriously any inappropriate behavior by any employee, whether inside or outside the workplace. This associate is no longer with the Firm." the firm said.
The firing came after TikToker Lizzy Ashliegh posted a clip of her alleged encounter with the lawyer. Footage began with Ashliegh holding her green wig as she repeatedly asked the man why he yanked it off her head.
“Sir, for what f**king reason? For what reason? For what reason did you take my wig off? Because what made you think that that was the good thing to do? For what?! For what?! Why did you do that?” the woman said in the video.
Instead of apologizing for the incident, the man appeared to be smiling as he kept walking down the street. The man was accompanied by another individual, who seemed to be apologetic about the situation.
“You,” Ashliegh said, referring to the second individual. “You’re nice as f**k. Him? He needs somebody to beat his f**king a**."
In a follow-up video, Ashliegh further how hard the man pulled on her wig to take it off her head.
“I just got home. I’m safe. But look at this. If you pull the wig, it looks like it’s going to come off, right? And then it gets stuck because it has combs in it,” she said. “So, he ended up pulling my hair in order to officially take it off. You have to then yank down and then try your best. It’s still not coming off!”
Before publicly announcing Orlich's termination, Leader Berkon Colao & Silverstein law firm quietly removed his profile from its website. Orlich hasn't spoken out about the alleged incident or his apparent firing.
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