Black employees of CNN are suing the company and its affiliates for racial discrimination.

The class action was filed in Atlanta, Georgia, on Wednesday on behalf of two workers, Celeslie Henley and Ernest Colbert Jr, but alleges widespread discrimination throughout the organizations.

'Dramatic' differences in pay, harsher evaluations for black males and fewer available promotions are among evidence of the prejudice, the lawsuit alleges.

CNN declined to comment on the case when contacted. TBS and Time Warner did not respond to requests.

Ernest Colbert Jr (left) and Celeslie Henley (right) are suing CNN for racial discrimination

The suit is filed on behalf of every one of the company's black employees in salaried and mid-level managerial positions since 1997. It estimates the number to be around 30 people.

' This discrimination represents a company-wide pattern and practice, rather than a series of isolated incidents,' it said.

Lawyer Daniel Meachum, who represented Wesley Snipes when the actor was accused of tax evasion, said he uncovered the evidence while investigating a separate discrimination case against CNN for another client, DeWayne Walker.

Walker is suing the company for $50million on the grounds of racial discrimination.

'As a result of the current discrimination lawsuit filed on behalf of DeWayne Walker vs. CNN, Time Warner & Turner, we have uncovered stories involving abuse of power, nepotism, revenge, retaliation and discrimination.

Celeslie Henley worked for the company for seven years as an Executive Administrative Assistant.

The 44-year-old claims she worked longer hours than her peers and was discriminated against because of her sex and race.

She also says she was unfairly treated when she was pregnant and taking maternity leave.

Five days after filing a complain with HR, Henley says she was fired by her boss.

Video courtesy of 11 Alive/WXIA

They claim they suffered racially prejudiced treatment while working for the company in Atlanta, Georgia. CNN's newsroom in the city is pictured above

DeWayne Walker is also suing the company in a separate suit as accusations of racial discrimination mount

Ernest Colbert has worked for Turner Broadcasting for 20 years. The 44-year-old however says he has been consistently paid less than white counterparts.

He claims he went without an official job description for years and was overlooked for promotions. He still works the company as a manager.

They also claim that an evaluations system employed by managers consistently ranked black employees as worse performers than their white counterparts.

'The performance evaluation system is implemented by managers exercising undue authority to make biased and inconsistent determinations with little or no oversight and/or feedback.

'This system permits discrimination on the basis of race in evaluations where raises, bonuses as well as further advancement within the company, are based on "preferred qualifications".

'Because of the undue discretion of managers, pursuant to CNN's own confidential reporting system, African-Americans, especially African-American males, have historically received the lowest performance ratings,' the lawsuit reads.

The plaintiffs are asking for a jury to determine any damages for them and a group of around 30 other employees.

The lawsuit also notes the lack of African-American employees who have ever been promoted to top level positions.

'The discrimination experienced by the plaintiffs mirrors a much broader problem within the discriminatory practices being implemented throughout all of Turner's networks,' it said.