The five reporters who sued NY1 for gender discrimination and retaliation reached a confidential agreement with the broadcaster that includes quitting their jobs.
Roma Torre, Kristen Shaughnessy, Jeanine Ramirez, Vivian Lee and Amanda Farinacci all claimed that they were despised in favor of younger co-workers and male talents like anchor Pat Kiernan.
“After a long dialogue with NY1, we believe that it is in everyone’s interest – ours, NY1 and our viewers – that this dispute be resolved and we mutually agree to separate,” the plaintiffs said in a statement released by their lawyers David Gottlieb and Douglas Wigdor. “We want to thank everyone who supported us in those times – know that the support of each person has made a real difference.”
Aged 40 to 61, they accused that a 2016 merger between the Time Warner Cable foundation and Charter Communications had led to a notable decline in their careers.
Despite winning several awards, veteran reporters said they found themselves overtaken by younger colleagues, while Kiernan maintained his position despite aging alongside them.
“Their air time was drastically reduced, the anchoring opportunities disappeared, the main reporting functions were withdrawn and the promotional efforts disappeared,” the suit said. “All of these opportunities that have been stolen from the plaintiffs have been distributed to several younger women and men with substantially less experience.”
Before the deal, the group demanded details of Kiernan’s contract and payment package – but a federal judge ruled earlier this month that they did not have sufficient grounds for the claim.
In a previous lawsuit, Torre’s brother Adam Friedman claimed that Kiernan’s agent had urged her to drop the action, 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 satisfied with the resolution. “We want to thank them for their years of dedicated service reporting the news to New Yorkers and we wish them well in their future endeavors,” said Maureen Huff in a statement.