Tom Martinohas settled his lawsuit with Denver FOX affiliate KDVR, The Denver Post reports.
Martino’s lawsuit alleged KDVR didn’t renew his contract after it learned he was filing for bankruptcy.
Martino had been the station’s consumer-advocate reporter since 2000. In 2009, the station started a new bit, “Martino TV,” which featured paid segments from advertisers and shared the proceeds with Martino.
AdvertisementThe long-time radio host of the Troubleshooter show, Martino says he blogged in July 2011 that he was likely going to file for bankruptcy protection, the result of a collapsed real estate market that caught up with a number of his investments.
A month later, station managers said his contract would not be renewed, allegedly because the native of upstate New York had “too strong” of a personality.
He filed for bankruptcy on Sept. 2, 2011, and Fox 31 officially handed him his walking papers nine days later. The station is owned by Community Television of Colorado.
Martino’s lawsuit sought back pay from Sept. 12, 2011, pointing to a base salary of $50,000 a year that was augmented by a percentage of the advertising revenue generated from the Martino TV show.
For the nine months of 2011, Martino said the station paid him nearly $112,000, and, based on figures provided in court papers filed in the case, was owed more than $400,000 from the time his contract was not renewed through last week.
He also sought “front pay” for five years, or about $800,000.
Reached by e-mail late Monday, Martino refused to discuss the settlement, citing confidentiality.
Representatives of Fox 31 did not immediately respond to efforts to reach them.