Two-time Olympic gold medalist and sports commentator
Donna deVarona filed suit in Federal District Court in NY
last Friday against ABC Sports and ABC Broadcasting,
charging the network with "unlawfully terminating her
employment because of age and sex," according to Lena
Williams of the N.Y. TIMES. In the suit, deVarona claims
she was warned by ABC execs that "her advancing age" was a
"detriment" because ABC Sports wanted to reach younger demos
and capture the "young 18-39 male market." deVarona also
claims that she was "given fewer and inferior-quality
assignments, was paid less than male colleagues and was
subjected to more stringent requirements than men in
comparable positions." deVarona, who was earning $150,000
annually at the time of her termination, is seeking $50M in
compensatory damages. ABC Sports said in a statement
yesterday that deVarona's role has "diminished greatly" over
the years because of the change in events covered by ABC
Sports. ABC: "We believe Ms. deVarona was treated fairly
and that this suit has no merit." But deVarona said, "I
tried every possible step to encourage ABC to be forthcoming
in dealing with me in a respective manner. This was my last
choice" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/12). BRIDGE NEWS' Heather MacGregor
notes that deVarona "is seeking" $5M in damages for each of
her ten claims (BRIDGE NEWS, 4/11).
