Five female anchors will no longer work at a New York news channel after settling discrimination claims
By LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press
December 31, 2020, 9:41 PM
• 2 min read
NEW YORK -- Five female anchors will no longer work at a New York news channel as part of the settlement of an age and gender discrimination lawsuit alleging they were passed over in favor of younger talent, according to statements from the women, their lawyers and the channel.
The women who sued in Manhattan federal court in June 2019 include Roma Torre, a Montclair, New Jersey, resident in her early 60s who was NY1′s first on-air hire when it began its programs in 1992.
The settlement of the lawsuit was announced by the women, their lawyers and by NY1. Its terms were not disclosed.
It came a month after a judge allowed some age and gender discrimination claims to proceed but rejected some hostile work environment and retaliation claims.
In their lawsuit, the women, all over age 40, alleged that they were marginalized and cast aside to make room for younger women and men after Charter Communications, a Stamford, Connecticut-based company, took over the local news channel in 2016.
The lawsuit had sought unspecified damages and a return to the positions the women occupied before Charter took control.
According to the lawsuit, the women found their on-air time dramatically reduced, anchoring opportunities decreased, prime reporting opportunities taken away and promotional efforts mostly eliminated.
“We are pleased to announce we have reached a confidential resolution of the lawsuit filed by Roma Torre, Kristen Shaughnessy, Jeanine Ramirez, Vivian Lee and Amanda Farinacci and as a result, have mutually agreed to part ways," NY1 said in its statement.
"We want to thank them for their years of dedicated service in reporting the news for New Yorkers and we wish them well in their future endeavors,” it added.
In a statement, the women said they were pleased to reach the settlement “after engaging in a lengthy dialogue with NY1."
“We believe it is in everyone’s interest — ours, NY1’s and our viewers — that this litigation be resolved and we have mutually agreed to part ways,” the statement said. “We want to thank everyone who has supported us through these times – please know that the support from each and every person has made a real difference.”
Their attorneys, Douglas Wigdor and David Gottlieb, thanked their clients' viewers who “tuned in to watch them fairly and accurately report the news for so many years.”
