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Former CBS Detroit sports anchor files racial discrimination lawsuit against station

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Former CBS Detroit sports anchor files racial discrimination lawsuit against station

Former CBS Detroit sports anchor Ronnie Duncan has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the Detroit area station, alleging racial discrimination and retaliation.

Duncan, who entered a three-year contract with the station on July 28, 2022, and was fired on Dec. 14, 2023, claimed in a lawsuit filed Monday that CBS Detroit conducted a “bogus sexual harassment investigation” as a pretext for termination after he expressed concerns about a lack of diversity and racial discrimination in the work environment.

He seeks punitive damages for an unspecified amount of money for lost past and future income, benefits and emotional distress. A jury would determine the specific amount if the case goes to trial, according to the complaint.

Officials for CBS Detroit and CBS News couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan Southern Division. It accuses Detroit Television Station WKBD Inc., CBS Broadcasting Inc. and Paramount Global Foreign Profit Corporations of retaliation in violation of federal sex and racial discrimination laws and Michigan’s Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act, as well as breach of contract.

According to the complaint, Duncan observed race-based differential treatment at CBS Detroit and tried to raise the issue with station leaders.

Examples alleged in the filing include management delaying extending job offers to qualified African American applicants while hiring less qualified White candidates, not hiring African Americans for sales positions, and rejecting positive stories about African Americans for the station’s shows while promoting those about Caucasians.

“Similarly, Mr. Duncan observed members of management at CBS Detroit promulgate race-based stereotypes and engage in racially offensive conduct,” the complaint said. “Specifically, a member of management once compared a gorilla’s lips to an African American employee’s lips at CBS Detroit.”

Roughly one year after Duncan started working at CBS Detroit he expressed concern about the station’s lack of diversity to Newsroom Director Paul Pytlowany, who distanced himself from Duncan afterward, the complaint said.

Duncan also expressed these concerns to Laurie Orlando, senior vice president of talent strategy for CBS Stations. She told him to email the complaints to her and CBS executives and assured him that he would not be retaliated against, according to the lawsuit. He sent an email outlining his concerns on Aug. 20, 2023, according to the filing.

“Relying upon Defendants’ promises that he could voice opposition to CBS Detroit’s differential treatment of African American employees, Plaintiff formally raised the issue of CBS Detroit’s discriminatory hiring and advancement practices,” the filing said. “Subsequently, despite repeated assurances against retaliation, Defendants breached their promises and ginned up a bogus reason for terminating his employment, thereby violating his statutory and common law rights.”

Duncan claims that within days of his email management began alienating him. He also had a brief and professional meeting with CBS Detroit’s President and General Manager Brian Watson during which they agreed to meet again and discuss Duncan’s complaints more in-depth, the complaint alleged.

The second meeting took place in September 2023 and Duncan provided specific examples of what he thought were discriminatory practices, expressing concern about discriminatory hiring practices and discrimination in on-air opportunities, according to the complaint.

“Mr. Watson became angry and defensive, and appeared to take personal offense to Mr. Duncan’s allegations,” the lawsuit said.

In fear of retaliation, Duncan contacted Orlando to inform her of the situation and his concerns, according to the complaint.

In October 2023, human resources launched a sexual harassment investigation into Duncan, the complaint said. He fully cooperated and was “certain of his innocence,” according to the lawsuit.

“The allegations of harassment were bogus, and Defendants discriminatorily applied policies and procedures to reach a contrived outcome — termination,” the lawsuit said. “Defendants used the bogus sexual harassment investigation as “cover” for retaliation in violation of Title VII. The investigation and outcome were pretext for illegal retaliation.”

hmackay@detroitnews.com

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