Copyright Baton Rouge Advocate
He’s a content creator who’s gone viral for his comedic skits. He’s racked up millions of online followers by storming businesses dressed as a federal inspector as a part of a gag to confront company leaders with farce “complaints” for likes, clicks and giggles. In August of last year, Carliemar White III, known to his legion of social media fans as “Agent Ratliffe,” brought his antics to Baton Rouge. Armed with an authoritative voice, a clipboard and his “OCDA” uniform, he told managers at Holmes Building Materials he was there to investigate allegations of employee discrimination. Staff members led White to the back offices of the storefront along Airline Highway that sells supplies for contractors. There, he questioned one of the company’s supervisors, Derek Jones, about the purported complaints. Holden Schneider, another comic posing as Agent Ratliff’s OCDA sidekick, stood beside White as he rattled off the anonymous employee grievances. A cameraman who accompanied the two filmed the encounter. White accused Jones of “always digging in his nose,” having a foul odor, engaging in racial harassment, getting in employee's personal space and practicing nepotism. The complaints were all a hoax, part of a brand of comedy that White and other online comedians have popularized in recent years. But it was no laughing matter for Jones and the owners of Holmes Building Materials. They’re now suing White, his company OCDA, and Schneider in federal court. Eleven days after his Aug. 1, 2024, visit to Holmes Building Materials, White posted footage from the clash with Jones on his social media channels. The video was viewed at least 120,000 times across the various platforms. In their lawsuit, Jones and company officials allege employees began getting harassing calls after the videos went viral, and the business suffered as a result. “The allegations of workplace abuse deter others from associating or employing with plaintiffs and expose plaintiffs to contempt and ridicule,” the petition alleges. Jones and the Baton Rouge company lodged the lawsuit Oct. 1 in the U.S. Middle District Court of Louisiana. They’re suing for defamation, slander and libel. The plaintiffs want damages for harm they claim the videos did to the Baton Rouge business’ reputation. They are also asking a federal judge to force White to remove all of his OCDA skits off the internet. “This is part of an ongoing enterprise between the individual defendants to harass and defame private businesses and professionals throughout the southeastern United States,” the suit claims. Who is Calimar White and what is OCDA? White is a stand-up comedian from St. Petersburg, Florida, who uses the stage name Calimar White. He travels the country doing routines on stage and comedy skits “in the field.” It’s a formula that’s paid off. White has more than 2 million combined followers and subscribers on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. His videos have garnered over 9 million views across the platforms, court records show. He was in Baton Rouge last year to perform at the Silly Rabbit Comedy Club along Airline Highway. While in town for the show, he adopted his online persona Agent Ratliff and visited two local businesses for his prank inspections. When they hit businesses for their hijinks, White and his cohorts identify themselves as OCDA agents and tell owners they’ve come to investigate complaints of employee discrimination or workplace harassment. OCDA is an acronym for Occupational Cares Diversity Affairs. White, in many of his videos, proclaims, “This is a real company and these are real complaints.” OCDA Official is registered as a domestic LLC based at White’s residence on the outskirts of Atlanta, according to Georgia Secretary of State records. Two weeks before the sold-out show, he posted to his Facebook page, announcing that he’d be traveling to the Capital City and asked his followers to submit “complaints” identifying the “worst jobs in Baton Rouge.” That’s what put Holmes Building Materials on OCDA’s checklist. Jones and the plaintiffs’ attorneys did not respond to requests for comment from The Advocate. In the petition, plaintiffs said he claimed to work for OCDA and told store clerks he had a meeting scheduled with Jones. Dressed in matching polo shirts and hats with the OCDA logo on them, he and Schneider were led to Jones’ back office in a workshop area. The lawsuit says employees were duped into believing the defendants were affiliated with OSHA, and they used their "false federal personas" to get access to an employees-only portion of the business that wasn't open to the general public. White and Schneider confronted the Denham Springs man, who’s listed as one of Holmes Building Materials’ supervisors. Jones chuckled at one point and called the allegations ridiculous before ordering the men off the property. Jones indicated that White and company initially refused to leave and blocked the doorway to his office. The men threatened to use physical force when he continued to insist they leave, the suit alleges, and White lit a cigarette and began smoking in Jones’ office. “If I have to come back in here, I’m shutting all this [expletive] down,” White said at one point. “I’m telling you, I’m not playing with your a**. Cuz you think this [expletive] is a game. This is a real company, and we deal with real complaints. We are a voice for the employees.” Following the encounter, White and his team edited and clipped portions of the footage and posted the videos online. The lawsuit alleges White's aim was “to embarrass the business and its employees and to publicize this interaction on social media” for his financial gain. Neither White nor OCDA reps could be reached for comment. Agent Ratliff's past troubles White's made television appearances and collaborated with established standups like Lil Duval. But his TikTok fame and success on YouTube came at a cost. In previous videos on his pages, Agent Ratliff identified himself as an officer with “OSHA Cares Diversity Affairs,” but he rebranded himself last October under the company moniker Occupational Cares Diversity Affairs. That came 11 weeks after the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General raided White's house for impersonating an Occupational Safety and Health Administration agent. According to court documents, the inspector general’s office found several guns in White’s house and he was charged with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. White, in interviews, has said he spent nearly a month in jail following the arrest.
