Music boss behind Lorde and The Weeknd sued for REVERSE racism: Ron Perry bullied his Latina assistant and nixed white jobseekers to get 'color in his office,' suit says

The 'visionary' music executive who signed Lorde, The Weeknd and other hit artists has been sued by his former assistant, who says she had to carry out 'sham interviews' with white jobseekers in a bid to 'diversify' his office.

Ron Perry, the CEO of Columbia Records, is lauded for his pioneering work and close ties with the icons on his label, who include Adele, Beyoncé, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen.

Now he's been slapped with a lawsuit — his former assistant, Patria Paulino, paints an ugly portrait of his office in New York City's Flatiron district, saying staff are berated in a toxic racist atmosphere.

Perry has little respect for non-white employees like Paulino, a Latina, yet seeks to recruit more 'color in his office' in an effort to keep up appearances in the post-George Floyd era, it is alleged.

Chairman and CEO of Columbia Records Ron Perry has won many awards for his work bringing such artists as Lorde, The Weeknd and Lil Nas X to the fore

Perry (pictured here with Lil Nas X) is accused of reverse racism, which may affect his work with big-name artists 

He belittled and humiliated her, Paulino says. She was made to carry out sham interviewees with white jobseekers even as she was told only an African American could get the job, it is claimed.

Lawyer Erica Shnayder says Columbia hired based on race

She sued the label, its parent company Sony Music Entertainment, Perry, and three others under city and state human rights laws at the US District Court for the Southern District of New York late last month.

'The company knew that they were violating the law,' Paulino's lawyer, Erica Shnayder, told DailyMail.com.

'That's precisely why they conducted sham interviews of employees that were already deemed ineligible for hire based on their race.'

DailyMail.com reached out to the label, which declined to comment.

The suit is especially damaging for Perry — he was one of the first industry leaders to back the Black Lives Matter movement after Floyd's murder, and he often works with black artists, such as Pharrell Williams and Lil Nas X.

According to the 15-page lawsuit, Paulino, a New Jersey resident of Dominican, Spanish and Italian background, started working for Perry in November 2022.

Perry's former assistant Patria Paulino says the big shot executive humiliated her because she was his token Latina hire

Paulino kept text messages in which colleagues brazenly discussed their racial preference for recruits, including that they are a 'diversity candidate' or 'POC,'  meaning a person of color   

She was soon told she was a 'diversity hire' despite her impressive resume, it is claimed.

Perry treated her as 'less qualified' because she was Hispanic and 'would frequently demean, humiliate and criticize' her without cause, it is claimed. 

He had a 'preference for Caucasian employees,' she was told.

But Perry had a problem, the case alleges.

Former employees had made 'multiple racial discrimination complaints' against him, and he was under pressure to diversify his mostly-white office to keep up with peers, like Sony CEO Rob Stringer, the suit says.

Paulino was tasked with vetting candidates for an administrative assistant. 

She was directed to break discrimination laws by interviewing applicants of all backgrounds, but to only let a 'Person of Color' make it through to the final round, it is claimed.

Paulino refused to play along. She advanced candidates she saw as qualified — regardless of their skin color.

Personnel boss Jenny Schecter was warned about the race-based recruitment goal, but answered: 'My HR ears can't hear this,' it is alleged.

Personnel boss Kimberly Greenman told Paulino she 'was not really working out' and urged her to quit, it is claimed

This put her at odds with Perry and his human resources chiefs Kimberly Greenman, Jenny Schecter and Alexa Abrams.

When Paulino advanced non-black candidates, HR bosses reminded her about 'the diversity situation' or indicated that the applicant 'doesn't fit the box' that they needed to tick, it is claimed.

In one instance, Paulino was allegedly told: 'We can't hire another white Jewish girl, unfortunately.'

In reference to another candidate, she was allegedly told: 'They can't be hired because they're not black.'

When Paulino complained about racial discrimination, Schecter allegedly said: 'My HR ears can't hear this.'

Some of these comments were relayed in text messages.

Paulino says she was working 80 hours a week carrying out phony sit-downs with qualified white candidates who never stood a chance.

In all, more than a dozen were rejected because of their race.

Ultimately, the relationship broke down. In March 2023, Greenman told Paulino that Perry felt she was 'not really working out' and pressured her to resign, it is claimed.

Ron Perry (right) wanted to have an office as diverse as that of Sony CEO Rob Stringer, it is claimed 

Columbia is one of Sony Music's flagship record labels, with such artists as Adele, Beyoncé, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen 

Ron Perry (right) pictured here with artists Tyga and Lil Nas X

She quit and was quickly replaced, and a black applicant was given the administrative role, the suit says.

'The defendants created intolerable working conditions by requiring the plaintiff to participate in the company's discriminatory hiring practices and by coercing plaintiff into submitting her resignation,' the suit says.

Paulino seeks a jury trial, her costs paid and punitive damages.

The case paints a complicated picture of racial discrimination in New York's present-day entertainment industry, with executives rejecting qualified white candidates in a bid to appear more diverse.

In a similar case, a freelance writer for the hit show SEAL Team last month sued CBS Studios for repeatedly denying him a staff job while instead hiring less-qualified black LGBTQ women and other 'diversity' recruits.

Advocates say so-called diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) schemes bring more black, brown, female, and queer talent into workplaces and colleges and raise morale across the board.

But critics say they're a 'woke' virtue-signaling exercise that fosters backlash discrimination against straight, white men.

Perry is set to receive the 2024 Music Visionary of the Year Award from the UJA-Federation at a ceremony in New York this Spring. 

The group called him a 'true trailblazer' and 'one of the new leaders of our industry.'