Jeff Vaughn, a former news anchor at KCAL and KCBS in Los Angeles, has filed a $5 million lawsuit claiming he lost his job due to “anti-white discrimination.”
Vaughn, who worked for the CBS-owned station group for eight years, was fired last September due to what he claims was “obvious” — the fact that he’s “an older, white, heterosexual male,” according to legal docs obtained by Variety.
He reportedly filed his suit on Monday after obtaining representation from America First Legal, a conservative group that fights against programs designed to increase diversity, equity and inclusion.
“CBS decided that there were too many white males at CBS, and it acted accordingly,” Vaughn’s complaint states. “It needed to solve its ‘white problem’ by firing successful white males.”
The lawsuit points to CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon’s track record of hiring and promoting women and people of color, as well as the company’s public commitment to increasing its budget for projects from creators who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC).
Though Vaughn’s suit claims CBS hired a Black newscaster with “minimal” experience, the man who replaced him was Chauncy Glover, who served as an anchor at Houston’s ABC affiliate for roughly eight years.
There have previously been two similar cases against CBS. America First Legal also represents Brian Beneker, a script coordinator who’s attempting to sue the company for not hiring him for a writing job. In response, CBS has cited the First Amendment to support its diverse hiring practices.
Back in 2012, Kyle Hunter attempted to sue KCAL and KCBS, alleging age and gender discrimination in their hiring of weathercasters. In that case, a California appeals court ultimately ruled that the hiring of two younger women did not support a claim of discrimination.
