Paul Ossmann, the former chief meteorologist at CBS46, has sued his former employer for “racially and ethnically discriminatory termination.”
What We Know:
- Ossmann is accusing the CBS affiliate of fostering a “racially hostile work environment.” In response to his claim, the CBS affiliate released a statement saying that Ossmann was fired in April “for cause based on multiple complaints from female co-workers of conduct that violated our workplace policies.”
- He said he “was not given a written statement from the co-worker, nor allowed to provide a written statement in response.” He was then terminated with two years left on his contract. Additionally, Ossmann did not mention “multiple complaints” against him by female co-workers in his lawsuit, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- In the lawsuit, he accused general manager Lyle Banks of getting rid of him as a “pretext” to promote Jennifer Valdez, a Hispanic woman as chief meteorologist in an attempt to foster diversity. He called it “illegal activism” to advance diversity within the CBS46 newsroom.
- As a 62-year-old white man, he claimed he also faced “racist and ageist” comments by former evening anchor Sharon Reed. He said Reed called him a “white dog.”
CBS46 was surprisingly vocal on the matter and responded to the allegations. The outlet said Ossmann is using this tactic to “draw attention away from his own poor behavior.” Furthermore, they said that they stand with Reed.
