Gannett Co. Inc. (NYS:GCI) is seeking the dismissal of a federal class action lawsuit filed by five individuals who claim they were the victims of reverse discrimination because they are non-minorities.
The lawsuit began in New York State Supreme Court when Steven Bradley, a former sportswriter and editor who worked at Gannett’s Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester for 21 years, claimed was terminated because he was White, whereas another worker being considered for termination was retained because he was Asian. Bradley’s complaint added that “Gannett chose not to hire Bradley on the basis of his race and instead went outside the applicant pool and hand selected a candidate that, irrespective of her qualifications, satisfied the quotas Gannett was seeking to achieve.”
Four other plaintiffs have joined Bradley in his lawsuit, which was moved to federal court.
According to a Publishers Daily report, Gannett is seeking the lawsuit’s dismissal because the discrimination claims are “nothing but speculation and conclusory allegations and/or complain about non-actionable conduct such as performance evaluations and/or a voluntary resignation.” The company added the accusations were “conclusory and deficient” and claimed Bradley waived claims against Gannett in his separation agreement while another plaintiff, Barbara Augsdorfer, openly identified as having Hispanic heritage.
Gannett is the nation’s largest newspaper chain with more than 200 print papers. Locally, the company publishes The Journal News, the Poughkeepsie Journal and the Times Herald-Record.
