Staffer sues after reply-all email blunder goes viral

A man has sued his former workplace after being fired for a reply-all email he claims he accidentally sent while “texting with my fraternity brother”.

A worker who was fired after “accidentally” sending a crude reply-all email to his boss is now suing his office for defamation.

Jovan Thomas, 56, has launched legal action against his former employer after he mistakenly asked his boss “what colour panties are you wearing” in a reply-all email delivered to the entire company.

Mr Thomas was working for the office of the San Francisco District Attorney at the time and claims the message was intended for a friend.

The email asked District Attorney Brooke Jenkins what colour her ‘panties’ were. Picture: Instagram

The reply-all email was sent in response to an email from the DA herself, Brooke Jenkins, who had sent a calendar invitation to an anti-discrimination meeting.

In a follow-up email, Mr Thomas apologised for his message and said the mistake came while “texting back and forth with my fraternity brother”.

“I sincerely apologise to everyone,’ he wrote in the email in January.

“Please know this is not who I am as a person as I carry myself with respect and dignity …”

The emails were posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, and shared widely on social media.

He is now suing the DA’s office, as well as Ms Jenkins, after being fired for the blunder.

In court documents seen by news.com.au, Mr Thomas is suing for damages, saying people within the office contacted members of the press about the incident.

The emails were uploaded to social media by an anonymous source. Picture: X

Mr Thomas is seeking a trial over the matter. Picture: X

He also claims the DA’s office failed to explain to the press that the email was a “wacky email the plaintiff intended to send to a friend” when asked for a statement.

“On or about January 26, 2024, plaintiff, who is straight, was texting with a straight, male, long-time personal friend and fraternity brother who was in New Zealand to bury his father,” the court documents state.

“Hoping to cheer up his friend, who was distraught and grieving the death of his father, plaintiff intended to text his friend a jokey question of the sort that that plaintiff had sent his friend on occasion in the past in order to cheer him up – namely, ‘what colour are your panties?’

“Unfortunately, just as plaintiff was about to send his playful text to his friend, plaintiff received an email from defendant JENKINS.

“Plaintiff immediately told the staff at defendant SFDA and defendant JENKINS that had received plaintiff’s email that he had intended to text his lighthearted question to a grieving male friend.

“It was immediately obvious to defendant JENKINS and everyone else at defendant SFDA who had received plaintiff’s email that plaintiff had sent it inadvertently; that he had not intended to email his boss, the District Attorney, asking her what colour panties she was wearing.”

Mr Thomas is seeking compensation as well as his legal fees.

Randy Quezada, a spokesman for the DA’s Office, clarified there had been no relationship between Mr Thomas and Ms Jenkins.

“This misogynistic behaviour violates the office’s code of conduct and this individual has been terminated,” he said in a statement provided to various media outlets.

“The District Attorney’s Office is committed to maintaining a professional office environment where all staff members are treated with dignity and respect and not subject to harassment or a hostile work environment.”

Originally published as Staffer sues after reply-all email blunder goes viral