Former WBZ-TV anchor Kate Merrill has filed a $4 million federal lawsuit against the station, its owner CBS, parent company Paramount, and four former colleagues, alleging racial and gender discrimination. The complaint, filed Tuesday, claims the defendants took “career-ending action” against her to “advance a DEI agenda,” an acronym for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Merrill, who joined WBZ in 2004 and rose to co-anchor of the morning show before her abrupt departure in 2024, states her career was derailed by an internal investigation launched after two Black coworkers filed separate complaints about her.
The 57-page lawsuit alleges that while the station investigated her, it failed to act on complaints Merrill made about meteorologist Jason Mikell. These included a sexually suggestive on-air comment and a separate verbal confrontation that allegedly occurred after Merrill privately corrected his pronunciation of the town “Concord.”
Following the investigation, Merrill was demoted from the morning show to a weekend night position, a move the complaint claims was intended “to make an example of her.” Citing the potential for “catastrophic damage” to her career, Merrill resigned on May 24, 2024. She was unable to seek other journalism work until June 1 due to a non-compete clause.
Merrill is seeking a jury trial and $4 million in damages. She had previously filed discrimination charges with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission before withdrawing them to pursue the current lawsuit.
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