Troubled New York newspaper PIX 11 Information is on trial.
Ojinika Obiekwe, the station’s longtime leisure anchor, filed a retaliatory swimsuit towards the native information channel and its father or mother firm Nextar final yr.
And the case went earlier than a decide final week.
In her 2025 lawsuit, Obiekwe claimed she was abruptly fired for talking out towards racism and discrimination.
Jury choice within the case started July 13 and he or she took the stand twice, concluding her testimony on July 15.
“It was emotional, nevertheless it was good as a result of I didn’t again down,” she advised Web page Six by way of her lawyer, Eric Abrams.
The Emmy-winning reporter began as an intern on the station in 2001 and held varied positions earlier than being promoted to leisure anchor in 2017.
Her lawsuit claims that after the promotion, she discovered herself “having to do the work of two, even three workers, in addition to the work of a phase producer and even that of an editor.”
Obiekwe additionally claims that white male leisure presenters had been paid extra at Nextar’s sister stations, regardless of having much less accountability and “extra assist and extra succesful workers.”
“All I’ve left to do at this level is decide the cotton,” she mentioned in her swimsuit, reacting to the “disproportionate quantity of labor” she was anticipated to do.
In 2022, she was fired for alleged “insubordination” and “alleged failure to carry out her duties.” after speaking in regards to the situations in keeping with the lawsuit.
Attorneys for the SAG-AFTRA union disputed the fees towards her, and he or she subsequently employed Abrams.
Abrams advised us that in her testimony, “she spoke powerfully about her expertise.” “This isn’t a case of discrimination. This can be a case of retaliation and we strongly imagine on this case,” he mentioned.
Previous and present PIX 11 workers took the stand to assist Obiekwe’s case.
The station fired 4 of its fashionable information anchors earlier this yr.
WPIX-TV vehemently denies Obiekwe’s claims.