A former employee alleges that he was wrongfully terminated after raising concerns about ethical compliance and the misuse of client funds at a marketing agency. The complaint was filed by Ivan Land, Jr. in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on March 8, 2026, naming Hero Collective Enterprises, Inc. and Angela Palala as defendants.
According to the filing, Ivan Land, Jr., who served as a strategist at Hero Collective Enterprises, Inc., claims that he was responsible for developing marketing strategies and campaign proposals for major corporate clients. The complaint states that during his employment he raised repeated concerns regarding ethical compliance issues within the company. These included alleged misuse of client funds and proposed marketing concepts that he believed violated contractual rules governing client campaigns.
The lawsuit outlines that instead of addressing these concerns, “Defendants marginalized Plaintiff, excluded him from key strategic discussions, and ultimately terminated his employment.” The complaint further alleges that Land’s termination occurred shortly after he objected to directives involving what he reasonably believed were misrepresentations to clients and improper diversion of client funds.
Land asserts that his objections centered around two specific initiatives: a campaign concept referred to internally as “GRAMMY Madness,” which he warned conflicted with Recording Academy rules prohibiting gambling-style promotions and fan-voting contests; and an internal proposal to divert funds from existing client budgets to finance an agency initiative called “Blackweek.” He cautioned leadership that such actions could violate contractual obligations and expose the agency to fraud or audit risks.
Following these objections, Land claims he experienced retaliatory treatment within the organization. According to the complaint, “Plaintiff was excluded from key strategic meetings related to campaigns he had been assigned to develop,” while contractors aligned with agency leadership were granted decision-making authority over him. The document also states that his professional contributions were minimized and his expertise disregarded despite being responsible for significant strategic work on major projects such as those related to the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Awards campaign.
The filing alleges discriminatory treatment based on race and age under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act; New York State Human Rights Law; New York City Human Rights Law; and New York Labor Law §740. Specifically, it states: “Defendants subjected Plaintiff to adverse employment actions including exclusion from meetings and termination” and treated him less favorably than similarly situated employees because of his race and age.
On August 1, 2025, Land was terminated by Angela Palala—then Vice President of Operations at Hero Collective—who is named individually in the suit for her supervisory role in the decision-making process. Following his dismissal, Land was instructed not to contact clients. The complaint highlights what it describes as a close temporal proximity between Land’s protected activity (raising objections) and his termination as evidence suggesting retaliatory intent.
Land subsequently filed a Charge of Discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging discrimination based on race, age, and retaliation arising from both his termination and preceding events at Hero Collective Enterprises.
The legal action seeks several forms of relief: back pay; front pay; lost benefits; compensatory damages for emotional distress; punitive damages; statutory damages under New York Labor Law §740; reasonable attorneys’ fees; pre-judgment and post-judgment interest; as well as any other relief deemed just by the court.
The case is identified as Case No. 26-CV-1893. Ivan Land Jr.’s attorney is Christopher H. Fitzgerald (CF 1415), whose office is located at 14 Wall Street in New York.
Source: 126cv01893_Ivan_Land_v_Hero_Collective_Complaint_Southern_District_of_New_York.pdf
