is among multiple Maryland city leaders being sued over alleged racial discrimination after a White male city developer was fired from his position.
Andrew C. Freeman, the former vice president at East Baltimore Development Inc. (EBDI), filed a lawsuit against Scott, the Baltimore City Council and EBDI on Monday claiming that he was fired shortly after his promotion in 2024 at the behest of the mayor’s office for his racial background in the largely Black workplace.
According to the lawsuit, EBDI President & CEO Cheryl Y. Washington allegedly admitted in text messages to firing Freeman less than two weeks after his promotion while attempting to rehire former Chief Real Estate Officer Karen Major Johnson, a Black woman, on Scott’s orders under the direction of his then-advisor Calvin Young.
The lawsuit read, “On June 10, 2024, Ms. Washington sent Mr. Freeman a text message in which she wrote, ‘Andy this decision was NOT mine! Not at all!! I would have NEVER done this. NEVER! I totally understand your response and dont take it personally. I feel HORRIBLE!!'”
Freeman claimed that the mayor was “upset” at the news of his promotion after the termination of a Black woman and “had an issue with it,” arguing that EBDI was “not focusing on core values.”
He added that after he initially threatened a charge of discrimination in 2024, EBDI began asserting that Freeman was terminated for “performance issues” that didn’t line up with the company’s “core values.” His lawyers maintain that his initial promotion proves this argument unfounded.
“Mr. Freemans termination is consistent with the Scott Administrations broader policies and practices that arbitrarily advantage certain racial minorities and women under the guise of promoting (‘DEI’) and disadvantage other people for no other reason than the color of their skin,” the lawsuit read.
It continued, “Mayor Scott has explicitly made providing opportunities for underrepresented minorities, particularly Black women, a top priority of his Administration. While lawful DEI initiatives appropriately seek to create equal opportunities for groups that have historically been subjected to discrimination and exclusionary practices, Mr. Scotts brand of DEI gives people opportunities simply because they check a box.”
reached out to the mayor’s office and EBDI for comment. The Baltimore City Council declined to comment on the matter.
Freeman is seeking monetary compensation for his firing as well as a permanent injunction from engaging in further discrimination and an order to remedy the past effects of discrimination in other areas.
Scott and the city of Baltimore previously against the Trump administration in 2025 after the president’s executive order to eliminate DEI programs in government.
