The five reporters who sued NY1 for gender discrimination and retaliation have reached a confidential agreement with the station that includes resigning from their jobs.
Roma Torre, Kristen Shaughnessy, Jeanine Ramirez, Vivian Lee and Amanda Farinacci alleged that they were discouraged in favor of younger and more talented co-workers such as the anchor Pat Kiernan.
“After a long dialogue with NY1, we believe it is in the interest of everyone (ours, NY1 and our viewers) that this dispute be resolved and we have agreed to separate from each other,” the plaintiffs said in a statement. published by his lawyers David Gottlieb and Douglas Wigdor. “We want to thank everyone who has supported us during these times. Keep in mind that the support of each and every one has made a difference.”
Aged between the ages of 40 and 61, they accused a 2016 merger between the founding of Time Warner Cable and Charter Communications of causing a marked decline in their careers.
Despite winning numerous awards, veteran journalists said they were seen passing for younger teammates, while Kiernan maintained his position despite aging alongside him.
“Its on-air time has been drastically reduced, anchoring opportunities have disappeared, key reporting functions have been eliminated, and promotion efforts have faded,” the lawsuit said. “All of these opportunities that have been snatched from the plaintiffs have been distributed to numerous younger women and men with substantially less experience.”
Prior to the deal, the group demanded details of Kiernan’s contract and package of payments, but a federal judge ruled earlier this month that they did not have sufficient grounds for the lawsuit.
In a previous presentation, Torre’s brother, Adam Friedman, claimed that Kiernan’s agent had urged him to leave the lawsuit, arguing that “Pat is the star” here.
The agent, 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 want to thank them for their years of reporting on the news to New Yorkers and wish them well in their future endeavors,” Maureen Huff said in a statement.