Robin Huebner is making good on her threat to sue KVLY-KXJB for age and gender discrimination. The former anchor filed a lawsuit against Hoak Media, the parent company of the Fargo duopoly, in federal court yesterday.
The dispute between Huebner and station management has been an extremely public battle since August, when general manager Jim Wareham announced she would be reassigned from her longtime post as 6 and 10 p.m. anchor. In October, Huebner gave her two-weeks notice, saying she felt she had no other option; she says station management responded by immediately showing her the door.
Wareham responded to Huebner’s claims in an on-air editorial, insisting the station was “disappointed to see her go.” He still stands by his public statements, he told The Forum yesterday.
“Anybody can file a lawsuit,” Wareham said. “We’ll see how her claims do in court.”
Huebner is suing Hoak Media for $75,000 in damages, calling the experience “personally and professionally humiliating.”
Huebner was replaced on the late evening newscasts by Stephanie Goetz. The lawsuit alleges that news director Griff Potter said Goetz appeals to husbands “due to her youth and sex appeal,” the lawsuit states.
Goetz told The Forum she wants to put the whole thing behind her.
“The latest developments are now between [Huebner] and Valley News Live,” she said. “I will continue to do my job to the best of my ability.”