Author Who Reported Metro Worker for Eating on a Train Sues Publisher

"She always goes into the afternoon on an empty stomach," the suit says of plaintiff Natasha Tynes

An author whose publisher censured her after she tweeted a photo of a Washington subway worker eating during a break has filed a lawsuit against the California literary firm, NBC News reported.

The suit, filed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, blames the response of L.A.-based publisher Rare Bird Books to Natasha Tynes' May 10 tweet for the writer's reputation being "permanently ruined," according to the document. 

Rare Bird did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

 The tweet, since deleted, accompanied a photo of a black transit worker eating on a break. 

"When you're on your morning commute & see @wmata employee in UNIFORM eating on the train. I thought we were not allowed to eat on the train. This is unacceptable. Hope @wmata responds. When I asked the employee about this, her response was, 'worry about yourself.'"

The Washington Metro transit authority expressed appreciation and asked for time markers that might help it track the employee down. But a backlash against Tynes was swift, with University of New Hampshire professor Chanda Prescod-Weinstein summing up the feelings of many: "Eating while Black."

Rare Bird said last month it would no longer distribute Tynes' forthcoming novel, "They Called Me Wyatt," which was set to be published on Rare Bird imprint California Coldblood Books.

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