Lawsuit is Making it Uneasy in the Newsroom

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FTVLive told you that 5 on air talent at NY1 were suing their station and all 5 are still working at the station.

So, it makes things a bit uneasy in the newsroom.

The New York Post writes that one of those that is suing the station is Kristen Shaughnessy and she admits that it’s not an easy thing to sue your current employer.

The day the claim dropped, she was reporting from Manhattan Criminal Court and Rikers Island. When Shaughnessy, who has been at NY1 since 1995, returned to the newsroom around 5:30 p.m., she held her breath.

“I kind of prepared myself that Roma might be the only person talking to me that day,” Shaughnessy told The Post. “To my surprise . . . there were high-fives, hugs. Some people would walk by and wink. Others would say, ‘Good for you.’ I knew we would get some support, but I didn’t expect anything like that because people were so afraid of management.”

But over the next few days, fear did cloud the atmosphere.

“We had a meeting right after the lawsuit dropped. Nobody would sit next to Jeanine,” said one station employee who, like other sources interviewed for this story, asked to remain anonymous because they are concerned about retribution by management. “Now people are walking on eggshells. There’s a lot of whispering going on.”

Behind the scenes at NY1’s Chelsea Market studio, battle lines were being drawn. According to multiple sources, some employees are quietly supportive of the plaintiffs, while others feel the suit comes from a place of jealousy and a lack of understanding about ratings. Rivalries have been exposed, as have accusations of a “mean girls” clique on the morning show and cries of favoritism.

The suit calls out Pat Kiernan, the popular morning-show anchor who, over the past 22 years, has become the face of the news channel — claiming he enjoys perks other longtime employees do not, such as a new set and a splashy celebration marking his 20th anniversary at NY1. According to the claim, Torre received no such festivities for her 25th year. The suit also claims that Torre was told by management to “stop complaining” when she was forbidden from using the morning show’s set.

One station insider said that Torre’s grievances are sour grapes — and not about discrimination.

“I think Roma is jealous of Pat, and she wants to destroy him. Pat was one of the many people who were hurt by the lawsuit. And I think she’s just looking for a giant payout,” said the station insider.

“To say that this is ‘jealousy’ of the way [male colleagues] are treated is completely insulting and misses the point entirely,” Torre, 61, countered. “I have absolutely no . . . ill will towards Pat Kiernan.”

The NY1 employee, meanwhile, claims that the special treatment has inflated Kiernan’s ego and that people tread lightly around him, fearing tantrums. The station employee recalled the anchor lashing out when talent from afternoon shows wanted to use his set. (Kiernan, 50, declined to comment for this story.)

The station insider, while not denying the tantrum, said of Kiernan: “He treats people so fairly.”

The lawsuit is likely months away from heading to court, so the uneasiness in the newsroom will not be ending anytime soon.