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Twin Cities meteorologist Wren Clair is suing KSTP-TV for sex discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation.
Clair, who filed suit this week in Ramsey County under her legal name Renee Fox, began working at Channel 5 in 2018. She moved to KARE11 in May, several months after Channel 5 fired her.
In her complaint, Clair alleges that KSTP news director Kirk Varner repeatedly commented on her physical appearance, said she should wear tighter fitting clothing, and complained about a change in her hair color.
Plaintiff’s attorney Paul Schinner writes that Varner’s behavior “reflects the norms of a bygone era when the sexual objectification and second-class status of female professionals was accepted as commonplace.”
After she complained to human resources, Clair alleges that KSTP illegally retaliated and fired her under the pretext of “poor performance,” even though she had more than two years left on her contract.
In its response filed with the court Wednesday, Channel 5 largely denies the allegations, but admits Varner complimented Clair's outfit choices and said she had a "swimmer's body."
Clair also alleges that former chief meteorologist Dave Dahl made similarly sexist comments, and when she replaced him on weekday evenings after his retirement, other men at the station tried to undermine and sabotage her work.
“For example, in mid-2021, during live team coverage of a severe weather event, [meteorologist Jonathan] Yuhas refused to let plaintiff speak for nearly 10 full minutes,” which created an on-air situation so awkward that general manager Robert Hubbard called Varner to complain.
KSTP attorneys Britt Gilbertson and Blair Harrington write in their reply that when Clair was “already struggling during live team coverage of a severe weather event (which is commonly covered by multiple meteorologists), Yuhas took over for a period to give plaintiff a break.”
Clair also alleges that she was harassed and groped by several drunk men while on assignment at the Minnesota State Fair in 2023 and told managers that KSTP was not providing sufficient security for station staff.
KSTP says that it fired Clair for poor performance but does not offer specifics, and admits that she never received any formal disciplinary action.
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