Former WBZ anchor Kate Merrill, who’s suing the Boston TV station for racial and gender discrimination, has dropped her claims towards one in all her ex-colleagues.
Merrill left the media outlet underneath a cloud of thriller final 12 months. Then earlier this 12 months, she sued WBZ, CBS, Paramount and others — claiming that she was illegally pushed out from the station after greater than 20 years there as WBZ superior “a DEI agenda.”
One of many former co-workers who Merrill sued included WBZ anchor and reporter Courtney Cole.
However just lately, Merrill dropped Cole from her lawsuit in Massachusetts U.S. District Courtroom.
“Plaintiff Katherine Merrill Dunham hereby submits an amended notice of voluntary dismissal of her claims against Defendant Courtney Cole… to reflect the voluntary dismissal with prejudice of her claims against Defendant Cole,” Merrill’s attorneys wrote in a latest court docket submitting.
Her preliminary lawsuit included how Cole allegedly complained about Merrill making a comment to her.
Merrill reportedly instructed Cole that she used to work in Nashville — and Merrill stated Cole ought to go there as a result of she might turn out to be the primary anchor.
“Cole apparently interpreted (the remark) as a suggestion that she go to Nashville because it would be a better racial fit for Defendant Cole (who is Black) rather than a comment about career opportunities and how much she (Ms. Merrill) enjoyed Nashville,” the swimsuit acknowledged.
“Ms. Merrill vehemently challenged the validity of Defendant Cole’s allegations and denied (and denies) any of her actions, inactions, or comments were as described or motivated by overt racism or unconscious bias,” the lawsuit continued.
Cole lodged a grievance towards Merrill, who within the swimsuit had claimed Cole “acted with malice and/or improper motive.”
“As a result of Ms. Merrill’s demotion (and subsequent separation from WBZ), Defendant Cole’s role on WBZ expanded,” the swimsuit acknowledged.
Merrill’s lawsuit nonetheless consists of WBZ’s Jason Mikell, a Black meteorologist from Mississippi. When he was employed, he reportedly requested Merrill to assist him with the pronunciation of native cities and cities.
Then final April, she texted him throughout a business break to right his on-air pronunciation of Harmony.
“… Defendant Mikell immediately confronted Ms. Merrill, loudly yelling at her on the studio floor and asserting that she was being critical of him,” the swimsuit reads. “His tone was aggressive and unprofessional. Ms. Merrill immediately lodged a complaint with WBZ’s Human Resources department.”
The station didn’t examine her grievance towards Mikell, she claims. As a substitute, an investigation was launched into allegations that she handled colleagues otherwise due to their race, the swimsuit claims.
The station concluded that Merrill’s habits was grounded in microaggressions or unconscious bias, and it led to a “very unwelcoming work environment.” She obtained a written warning, and he or she was required to finish unconscious bias coaching.
Merrill was then demoted from co-anchor of the Weekday Morning Present to working weekend nights.
“Because of the catastrophic damage a demotion would have caused her career, especially in the context of allegations that she was racist, on May 24, 2024, Ms. Merrill gave notice of constructive discharge resignation, effective immediately,” the lawsuit reads.
Merrill’s employment settlement with WBZ didn’t expire till June 1, 2025. Due to the non-compete provision, she couldn’t work within the discipline for greater than a 12 months.
Merrill is in search of $4 million in damages from WBZ, CBS, Paramount and others.
When Merrill issued her first public assertion about her lawsuit, she burdened that “fairness must apply to everyone.”
“For more than two decades, I proudly shared the stories of Boston as a journalist at WBZ-TV,” Merrill posted on Fb. “I poured my coronary heart into this work as a result of I imagine deeply within the energy of journalism to tell, join, and uplift a group I like.
“It is with profound sadness that I now find myself in the position of bringing a legal complaint against a station and company that I once considered part of my family,” she added. “This decision was not made lightly. It was made because I believe fairness must apply to everyone, regardless of race, gender, or background and I was not treated fairly.”
