TV Anchor Sues Boston CBS Affiliate, Claims White Employees Targeted by Corporate DEI Policies

A veteran television anchor for Boston, Massachusetts’ CBS affiliate filed a lawsuit claiming she was demoted to fulfill corporate diversity quotas.

Katherine Merrill Dunham, who is white, claimed that WBZ-TV “exploited” diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies imposed by CBS and Paramount Global, taking “career-ending action” against her.

The lawsuit stated that CBS has said “diversity, equity and inclusion standards need to be a top priority for leadership in every corner.” The suit also cited CBS executives that claimed WBZ-TV was “too White” and had the “least diverse station for on air talent,” and the “Whitest of all their stations.”

WATCH — Dr. Phil’s Diagnosis! “This Country Was Built on Hard Work… Not DEI”:

In September 2023, WBZ hired black meteorologist Jason Mikell, and Zack Green, a white meteorologist, was let go.

“On February 22, 2024, Defendant Mikell made an inappropriate sexual innuendo about Ms. Merrill on air. Specifically, he implied that Ms. Merrill and her co-anchor had sexual relations at a gazebo. Mikell was not disciplined for his sexually charged remark,” the lawsuit stated.

Fox News continued:

WBZ, CBS and Paramount took no action to investigate Merrill’s complaint about Mikell’s aggressive confrontation and threatening treatment of her, nor did they investigate the previous complaints lodged by Merrill’s colleagues about Mikell’s “sexually charged” comment on air about Merrill, according to the complaint that was obtained by Fox News Digital.

However, Merrill was informed “that an investigation was being conducted into allegations that she treated coworkers differently because of their race.”

“Merrill vehemently challenged the validity of Defendant Mikell’s allegations and denied (and denies) any of her actions, inactions, or comments were as described or motivated by overt racism or unconscious bias,” the complaint read. “Based on the falsity and/or and misleading nature of Defendant Mikell’s allegations, Defendant Mikell acted with malice and/or improper motive in lodging a complaint against Ms. Merrill.”

RELATED VIDEO — “Should People Be Treated Differently Based on Their Race, Yes or No?”:

Merrill was informed that she would be demoted to working weekend nights from her role as co-anchor.

“Because of the catastrophic damage a demotion would have caused her career, especially in the context of allegations that she was racist, on May 24, 2024, Ms. Merrill gave notice of constructive discharge resignation, effective immediately,” the lawsuit stated. “Ms. Merrill’s employment agreement with WBZ expires, by its terms on June 1, 2025. It contains a non-competition provision. She was therefore unable to work in her field until after June 1, 2025. As a result, Ms. Merrill has suffered significant financial losses.”

CBS’s parent company, Paramount, said it would eliminate diversity practices as part of a proposed merger with Skydance Media.