Oprah Winfrey, OWN Hit With Discrimination Lawsuit
Oprah Winfrey has made headlines once again, and this time, it's not good. Winfrey is facing a huge lawsuit from a former employee at OWN who said she was fired when she gave birth, according to a report obtained by the Hollywood Reporter.
Carolyn Hommel, filed a lawsuit on Feb.1, claiming she was a victim of sexual discrimination. Hommel said she was hired in July 2010 as the Senior Director of Scheduling and Acquisitions at Oprah's OWN Network. A year later in March 2011, after an exceptional review and positive feedback by John McDonald, OWN's COO and EVP of Programming Digital, Hommel told she was on the verge of being promoted to a Vice President at the company. She even received higher than the standard 20% bonus.
The report claims that in July 2011, when Hommel learned she became pregnant, her job turned for the worst. On several occasions, Hommel became sick while at work and was once treated at the emergency room. Hommel was then diagnosed with a pregnancy-related illness in blood pressure. After being ill a few times after that and also treated by doctors, the executive said her department began to exclude her from the meetings she once conducted.
In November 2011, Homell told MacDonald that she felt she was being treated differently, because her jobs and responsibilities were taken away from her due to hospital visits for her medical conditions. The executive said her duties were slowly transferred to a temporary employee.
Homell claims that in March 2012, one month after gave she gave birth in February 2012, she was dismissed from the company "because her job of Senior Director was eliminated." She was suggested by her supervisor, Michael Garner to re-apply for the Vice President position. When she did, she was promptly passed over.
She also claims in 2011, Garner fabricated her performance view, which was scored as "valued," a score much lower than what she received on her 2010 review.
"The fabrications and inaccuracies made Hommel's job duties and responsibilities appear less 'senior' and therefore, not a viable condition candidate for the new Vice President position," the report stated.
The report claims, "Hommel has been emotional damaged by the Defendants' misconduct, including, but not limited to, their discriminatory acts and retaliation for requesting pregnancy leave."
Winfrey has not yet commented on the pending lawsuit.
Check the full report here.
