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A New Jersey man is suing Benjamin Moore in Essex County court over paints that were allegedly named after him.

(William Perlman/The Star-Ledger)

On the Benjamin Moore website, "Tucker Chocolate" color is explained this way: "Capturing the 1798 color requested by St. George Tucker for his home facing Courthouse Green, this deep brown is classic and understated." "Clinton Brown" is described as a candy: "A childhood favorite treat matures into adult style chic in this perfectly balanced chocolate candy bar brown. Delicious with no added fat or calories."

NEWARK — A New Jersey man named Clinton Tucker is suing former employer Benjamin Moore, claiming discrimination regarding the paint company's colors "clinton brown" and "tucker chocolate."

Tucker, who identifies himself as an African-American man in the lawsuit filed in Essex County court in Newark, said he was hired in June 2011 in the digital marketing department but quickly found himself being discriminated against, according to a write-up of the filing on CourthouseNews.com.

Tucker is seeking damages for discrimination, retaliation and a hostile work environment, according to the suit.

He claimed that when working on the online arm of Benjamin Moore's campaign for their Williamsburg color collection, he learned of the new color "tucker chocolate," which the suit called "extremely racially offensive."

The Williamsburg collection also has colors named tucker orange and tucker gray.

Tucker then learned of the existing color "Clinton Brown," which a co-worker pointed out to him as a joke.

"Despite [Tucker's] repeated complaints and protestations to BM management about these appallingly racial color names, no action was ever taken by Benjamin Moore to change the names of these colors," according to the suit.

Tucker also claimed that he was demoted while white co-workers were given promotions, and that his request to take off work on Martin Luther King Jr. Day was ignored.

Benjamin Moore eventually fired Tucker in March, but retained his "two white, blonde-haired and blue-eyed subordinates," according to the lawsuit.

Benjamin Moore did not comment on the suit, according to the report. The company is based in New Jersey.

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