Five female anchors at NY1 said Thursday they have “mutually agreed” to leave the local news station after settling their age and gender discrimination lawsuit. Roma Torre, Kristen Shaughnessy, Jeanine Ramirez, Vivian Lee, and Amanda Farinacci had alleged that managers forced them off the air in favor of younger anchors with less experience. Torre, one of NY1’s longest serving hosts, told The New York Times last year, “We feel we are being railroaded out of the place.” After filing the suit, they said they’d been shunned and further sidelined by colleagues.
The five women who filed the lawsuit collectively have more than 100 years of broadcasting experience. They were required to sign a non-disclosure agreement as part of their settlement agreement and they no longer will appear on NY1.
On Thursday, the women said they were “pleased” to reach a confidential resolution. “After engaging in a lengthy dialogue with NY1, we believe it is in everyone’s interest—ours, NY1’s and our viewers—that this litigation be resolved and we have mutually agreed to part ways,” they said in a statement. Their attorneys, Douglas Wigdor and David Gottlieb, thanked fans “who tuned in to watch them fairly and accurately report the news for so many years.”
