Sources: Fired Pittsburgh Anchor has Filed Lawsuit Against the Station (Updated)
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FTVLive is working to get some details, but sources tell us that fired WTAE Anchor Wendy Bell has filed a lawsuit against the station.
The move does not come as a surprise and some inside the WTAE newsroom says they were expecting this shoe to drop.
You may remember that Bell was fired after a racist post to her Facebook in which she edited a number of times before deleting it.
Bell's firing had split Pittsburgh's viewers on different sides. While many felt Bell got exactly what she deserved, others felt she should have never been fired.
Right now, it looks like that decision will be debated in a courtroom.
The Pittsburgh Post Gazette now confirms what FTVLive was being told by sources. Bell is suing WTAE and wants her job back.
In the lawsuit against Hearst Stations filed by attorney Sam Cordes, Ms. Bell alleges that she was fired without cause and that her employer repeatedly called her a ”model anchor and newsroom leader” and encouraged her to use social media in her work.
The lawsuit includes claims for race discrimination under the federal Civil Rights Act.
In addition to reinstatement, Ms. Bell is also asking for back pay, attorney fees and that Hearst be permanently enjoined from discriminating or retaliating against her.
