Did your boss make promises to you before you got hired and they never turned out to be true?

That seems to happen a lot in TV news. The boss hires you as a Reporter, but tells you you will be anchoring in a year and that never happens.

Well, one Anchor claims that promises to him were broken and now he’s suing his former station.

Former WAKA (Montgomery) Sports Anchor Vince Lennon is suing the station for over racial discrimination and breach of contract.

Lennon claims that at least one colleague made sexist remarks and racial jokes regarding his Spanish heritage.

The suit was filed in federal court cites three counts of racial discrimination, fraud, and breach of contract during his one-year stint at the network in 2016.

According to his lawsuit, Lennon claims he was not treated the same as his white co-workers because he is of Spanish descent and that he was lied to about the terms of his employment while being recruited for the job at WAKA.

Lennon also claims he left his “stable employment” in Tennessee to relocate “thereby causing him financial loss and economic hardship, and ultimately further loss when [station] failed to pay him the salary due him under his contract and failed to pay him the make-up allowance that was due under the contract.”

According to the lawsuit, 51-year-old Lennon was working at a TV station in Chattanooga when WAKA news director Glen Halbrooks “lured” Lennon away from Chattanooga and to WAKA in Montgomery. During that conversation, the lawsuit says, Halbrooks promised Lennon things like multiple cameras and a fully staffed bureau for editing and producing sports segments.

Lennon accepted the job in December 2015 under a one-year contract that began in January 2016 and lasted through January 2017.

During his time at WAKA, Lennon reported to Halbrooks. According to the suit, Halbrooks told Lennon when Lennon first started the job that WAKA would likely be Lennon’s “last stop” because of his age. The suit also says Lennon’s department was not properly staffed with the promised amount of employees throughout his employment and he was not provided with the promised equipment.

According to the lawsuit, colleague and co-anchor Jeff Sanders “had it in” for Lennon because Sanders believed Lennon was having an affair with Sanders’ ex-wife, who also worked for WAKA. Sanders made explicit comments to Lennon about the ex-wife’s breasts and genitals, the suit says.

Sanders is not named as a defendant in the suit and there are no charges of sexual harassment.

Sanders also made comments on multiple occasions to Lennon about Lennon’s Spanish heritage, the lawsuit claims, and told Lennon to “stop speaking spic,” and “stop speaking Mexican.” He also said on one occasion to Lennon, "I’m bilingual too, get me a taco paco… how do you say taco in Spanish? Paco, taco, now o.”

At one point during Lennon’s time at the station, the suit claims Sanders edited a photo of Lennon to show a target on Lennon’s face. Sanders sent that image to Lennon and also posted it on Lennon’s work-related Facebook page.

The suit also includes claims of Sanders swinging an axe and insinuating he would cut off Lennon's penis, and also claims Sanders reported to Halbrooks that Lennon was driving over the speed limit in a company car.

Sanders, in an interview Wednesday morning, said “the allegations are false.”

“On or about November 17, 2016, Halbrooks and Sanders gave Lennon a letter which stated that WAKA had chosen not to exercise its option to extend [Lennon’s] employment contract. The letter… stated that [Lennon’s] last day of employment would be January 7, 2017. The letter gave no reason for [WAKA’s] decision not to renew [Lennon’s] contract,” the lawsuit says.

"Despite the fact that the letter stated Lennon would continue to work until January, Lennon was walked out of the building… on November 21, 2016, leaving [Lennon] terminated without cause." According to the suit, Lennon was also never paid his $200 makeup allowance.

Although Lennon claims he was fired without reason, the suit claims WAKA's agent told others in the TV industry that Lennon had quit his job during the week of the Iron Bowl.

Lennon is seeking an undisclosed amount of damages and back pay. He is also asking for a jury trial on all claims that are triable.

Attorneys for WAKA have filed motions seeking to have the lawsuit dismissed, saying Lennon has failed to prove his claims.

H/T AL.com