The five female reporters who have sued NY1 for sex discrimination and retaliation have reached a confidential settlement with the station, including quitting their jobs.
Roma Torre, Kristen Shaughnessy, Jeanine Ramirez, Vivian Lee and Amanda Farinacci claimed they were turned down in favor of younger colleagues and male talent like anchor Pat Kiernan.
“After having engaged in a lengthy dialogue with NY1, we believe it is in everyone’s best interests – ours, NY1 and our viewers – that this dispute be resolved and we have mutually agreed to part ways,” he said. plaintiffs in a statement from their attorneys. David Gottlieb and Douglas Wigdor. “We want to thank everyone who has supported us during these times – please know that the support of each person has made a real difference.”
Ranging in age from 40 to 61, they claimed that a 2016 merger between the founding of Time Warner Cable and Charter Communications led to a remarkable decline in their careers.
Despite winning numerous awards, the veteran reporters said they saw themselves passed by younger female colleagues, while Kiernan held his position despite growing older alongside them.
“Their broadcast time has been drastically cut, anchor opportunities have disappeared, core reporting tasks have disappeared and promotional efforts have disappeared,” the suit said. “All these opportunities that have been taken away from the plaintiffs have been shared among many younger women and men with significantly less experience.”
Prior to the settlement, the group demanded details of Kiernan’s contract and pay package, but a federal judge ruled earlier this month that they did not have sufficient grounds for the claim.
In an earlier filing, Torre’s brother Adam Friedman claimed that Kiernan’s agent urged her to drop the lawsuit, arguing that “Pat is the star” here.
The officer, Adam Leibner, denied making the derogatory comments.
A spokeswoman for Spectrum Networks, whose parent company is Charter Communications, said she was pleased with the resolution. “We would like to thank them for their many years of dedicated service in reporting the news to New Yorkers and wish them the best in their future endeavors,” Maureen Huff said in a statement.