Houston:
Veteran former Indian-American broadcaster Sue Manteris has filed a federal discrimination and harassment lawsuit against her former employer KSNV/Channel 3.
Varanasi-born Sunanda "Sue" Tripathi-Manteris, filed the lawsuit against station owner Valley Broadcasting Co, Intermountain West Communications, other corporate entities and KSNV station managers and executives in US District Court for Nevada.
Manteris, who had been with the NBC Las Vegas affiliate for 22 years before her final broadcast on June 9, claims that KSNV's let her go because she was too old and from
an ethnic minority.
She had been told her contract was not being renewed because of cost-cutting measures at NBC-owned KSNV-TV station.
But Manteris, who is in her mid 40s, claims she was picked on because she was she considered too old to read the news. She also alleges that her contract was not renewed because she was a minority worker, and said other staff from ethnic minorities had been replaced by white reporters.
She called the lawsuit "a fight, I couldn't run away from."
"Cost-cutting measures cannot target all minority workers in a department, and women over 40 only; not in this millennium, not in this country," Manteris said, adding, "unfortunately, some businesses still need to learn that."
The lawsuit, which was filed with US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, names Valley Broadcasting Co, the owner of KSNV. It also names news director Bob Stoldal, general manager Lisa Howfield, and KSNV attorney Douglas Roman Hill.
"This case is about principles, ethics and the law of our land," Manteris said in a statement. In her complaint, Manteris alleged that the station "has failed to ensure a workplace free from discrimination and employment."
"Despite being a large and highly visible organization, the station has no company diversity training program... (nor) Human Resource Department involvement in the handling of discrimination complaints, she said.
Manteris is one of the first Asian-American broadcasters in Las Vegas. She moved to the city to work in Channel 3 as a reporter in 1989. She eventually became news anchor and in recent years, was being promoted by the station on-air as 'Anchor Mom'.