"Merrill, who abruptly left her role at WBZ last year after nearly 20 years with the station, filed a federal lawsuit in August for $4 million. She claims she was discriminated against on the basis of her gender and her race and was defamed after she was accused of racist remarks and demoted. The rift appears to have begun after Merrill privately corrected Jason Mikell's on-air pronunciation of "Concord.""
"Mark Batten, the lawyer for WBZ, its employees, and its parent companies, writes that Merrill alleges that she was affected by "reverse discrimination" as WBZ worked to diversify its on-air staff. "While the complaint repeatedly characterizes Merrill as someone who is 'anti-racist' - pointing to what she describes as warm personal and professional relationships with some Black people," Batten writes,"
WBZ filed a motion to dismiss most of former anchor Kate Merrill's discrimination allegations, including a count against a Black colleague. Merrill filed a $4 million federal lawsuit alleging gender and race discrimination and defamation after being accused of racist remarks and demoted. The conflict began when Merrill corrected meteorologist Jason Mikell's pronunciation of "Concord"; he allegedly confronted and yelled at her and she reported the incident to human resources. Mikell and another colleague then alleged microaggressions and unconscious bias by Merrill. Merrill denies any actions were motivated by overt racism or unconscious bias. WBZ's lawyer argues the claims reflect 'reverse discrimination' tied to diversity efforts and seeks dismissal of four of six charges.
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