Reports are swirling around the Web today that Oprah Winfrey's network, OWN has been sued for gender and pregnancy discrimination.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, a lawsuit was filed on Friday by a former employee of the company, Carolyn Hommel. The court documents, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court allege that Hommel was passed over for a promotion due to her pregnancy. The report says that Hommel was hired by OWN in 2010 as senior director of scheduling and acquisitions.
When Hommel became pregnant and took pregnancy leave, she was replaced by a temporary employee who was filling in until her return. Hommel alleges that she received a positive review of her 2010 performance in March of 2011. The review was conducted by John MacDonald OWN's COO and EVP of Programming and Digital. She was told that she was on track to working her way up to becoming vice president. Her superior performance earned her a higher bonus than the standard 20% and she also received an increase in salary. The lawsuit further documents that "Hommel always met or exceeded company expectations in the performance of her job duties."
Upon returning from maternity leave, Hommel claims that she was excluded from company meetings and that her duties were gradually passed on to the temporary employee. She was also denied access to information and excluded from communications and this made for a hostile work environment. After a month after giving birth to her daughter, Hommel alleges that in in March of 2012, she was told that she was being laid off. She reapplied for the position as vice president and she claims that Michael Garner, her boss at the time, sabotaged her performance review. In the report, it's alleged that Garner, also a defendant in the suit, "made Hommel's job duties and responsibilities appear less 'senior' and therefore not a candidate for the new vice president position."
Hommel made numerous complaints about the alleged discrimination to OWN executives prior to filing the suit. She is seeking an unspecified amount in damages and claims that her demotion and layoff are a result of her requiring medical leave due to her pregnancy.
