- Former PIX11 anchor Ojinika Obiekwe is suing the station, claiming she was fired for speaking out about “racial and gender-based discrimination she was experiencing in the workplace”
- The complaint alleged that Obiekwe “became acutely aware that certain White male peers with her same position had to do less work and were receiving more and better staffing support in the workplace”
- “The station’s conduct was wrong, and it was illegal,” the journalist’s attorney said in a statement
An Emmy award-winning journalist is suing the New York station where she worked for over 20 years for racial and gender discrimination.
Ojinika Obiekwe is suing Nexstar Media Group and its subsidiary CW affiliate WPIX (or PIX11) after she was allegedly fired for repeatedly speaking out “about racial and gender-based discrimination she was experiencing in the workplace,” according to the complaint, which was filed in January.
Obiekwe, who was born in Nigeria, started as an intern in 2001 and went on to hold a variety of job titles over the years, including entertainment anchor. According to her station biography, her trajectory at the station was proof “that dreams do come true, and it’s up to you to make it happen for yourself.”
However, the court documents allege that the station eventually “began taking advantage of her” and that “as the years progressed, Ms. Obiekwe had to do the work of two or even three people.”
The complaint went on to allege that Obiekwe “became acutely aware that certain White male peers with her same position had to do less work and were receiving more and better staffing support in the workplace.”
Ojinika Obiekwe attends the GC4W Entrepreneurship Ball at The Harvard Club on March 1, 2019 in New York City.
Cindy Ord/Getty
In 2020, Obiekwe “began to complain about her work conditions, loudly and openly, making clear that she was being discriminated against,” the complaint stated. The next year, PIX11 hired a news director who “promised Ms. Obiekwe that she would investigate her complaints and make changes to better support her.”
But court papers claim those promises “were empty” and “change never came.”
Per the complaint, when Obiekwe continued to speak about the “discrimination” she faced — at one point even “comparing the conditions at the station to those on a plantation” — the news director allegedly told Obiekwe “to desist because she was making people uncomfortable.”
After she refused, she was allegedly fired, according to the court documents, which cited “failure to perform job duties” and “insubordination” as the rationale she was given for her termination.
However, the court documents allege that when “Obiekwe and her SAG-AFTRA union lawyers challenged the allegations against her, PIX11’s charges could not be supported by any evidence.”
Afterwards, the news director allegedly “changed tact, took back the reasons PIX11 originally gave Ms. Obiekwe, and decided that PIX11 was simply not renewing her contract, for no reason.”
Her work biography stated that Obiekwe “separated” from the station in 2022.
Obiekwe is now hoping to be awarded compensatory and punitive damages as well as legal fees to be determined by a jury trial.
“Ms. Obiekwe was terminated, and her contract was not renewed, because she spoke up about discrimination she was experiencing,” said attorney Eric Abrams. “Beyond being morally unjust, PIX11 and Nexstar must be held accountable for their violations of the law.”
Meanwhile, attorney Andrew G. Celli, Jr. said that all “New Yorkers have the right to a workplace free from discrimination — and the right to call out discrimination when they see it.” He added, “That’s what Oji did here — and that’s why she was terminated by PIX11. The station’s conduct was wrong, and it was illegal.”
