After launching a lawsuit in 2023, KYW Newsradio anchor Carol MacKenzie and parent company Audacy have settled the case.
MacKenzie had alleged she had been subjected to age and gender discrimination in late 2021 after being offered a contract that she claimed was significantly less than her male and younger female co-workers.
The settlement comes after a district court had refused to dismiss the lawsuit after Audacy had argued that the KYW Newsradio anchor hadn’t utilized every option available from the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, making her legal case void.
While announcing her lawsuit in November 2023, lawyers for Carol Mackenzie said she had been paid less than her male counterparts for 20 years after joining the all-news station in 2003.
The allegation continued by stating that she believed she had been underpaid by between $20,000-$30,000 per year than her male colleagues, which would violate the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009. She reportedly was paid a lump sum in 2019, but then alleges she was asked to take a pay cut during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Documents in the case revealed that Carol MacKenzie was offered a multi-year contract in 2021 for an annual salary of $137,000, with $3,000 elevations in the final two years. After turning down the contract, the offer increased to $150,000, with a $2,000 increase in year two and a $3000 increase upon that in year three.
Carol MacKenzie continued to work for the Audacy all-news station despite her discrimination lawsuit.
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