A former WZZM reporter has had her lawsuit against the station dismissed by a judge, who said it was her work habits that got her fired, not discrimination.
Shanna Grove claimed she was fired because she complained that some of her male co-workers ignored coronavirus protocols and worked while symptomatic. She also alleged sex and gender discrimination in a federal lawsuit against the Grand Rapids, Mich., ABC affiliate, its owner, Tegna Inc., and licensee Combined Communications of Oklahoma Inc.
MLive said the judge in the case ruled that Grove was fired because she was frequently late and took an unapproved leave of absence and not because of discriminatory treatment or harassment toward women.
“Grove was late for work on many occasions, despite several instructions from her supervisor to arrive on time for her shifts,” the judge said in a written opinion.
“And after that same supervisor expressly and repeatedly denied Grove’s request to take a leave of absence, telling her that WZZM could not accommodate her request, Grove took one anyway. That conduct motivated Grove’s termination, not any complaints that she had made a couple of months earlier.”
A report showing the use of her badge to enter the station showed she had been late on 20 of 33 workdays from Nov. 1, 2020 to January 1, 2021.
Grove had worked at the station since March 2018.