Two women have sued Jeffrey Osborne for claiming he was negligent and discriminatory during a concert last year that left them “emotionally disturbed.”
According to People, Maneva Currie and Danielle Buchanan filed a complaint on Tuesday against the 75-year-old singer.
They also sued the Greek Theater, where he performed.
Their claims are that Osborne intentionally inflicted emotional distress while the Greek Theater was negligent and violated the Unruh Civil Rights Act–an act that protects people from discrimination by every business in California.
What Exactly Did Jeffrey Osborne Do?
The women claim that, in the May 6, 2023, concert, Jeffrey Osborne asked for a volunteer to sing along with him on his 1986 hit “You Should Be Mine (The Woo Woo Song).”
The camera “directed” at Buchanan, broadcasting her face to the whole theater, and she was ready to join Osborne on stage.
However, Osborne allegedly told his team and the audience:
“I want a White person.”
Shocked, Buchanan tried to play down Osborne’s humiliating words by saying on the mic, “I’m White.”
But Osborne’s team grabbed the microphone and gave it to someone else.
In the lawsuit, the women couldn’t enjoy the remainder of the concert.
Buchanan later called the Greek Theater to complain, but they never responded.
“[Buchanan and Currie] left the concert emotionally disturbed. Based on the public humiliation, [they] were afraid to engage socially in their lives for months and eventually as a result of the pain and suffering, they had to seek psycho-therapy. As a result of Osborne’s negligent and discriminatory behavior, he has caused [the plaintiffs] damages.”
The women want punitive damages amounting to over $2 million.
