SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- Former KUSI anchor Sandra Maas is suing the station for $10 million, alleging retaliatory termination and violation of the Equal Pay Act.
Maas’ attorneys claim McKinnon Broadcasting Company and the company's actions “have caused, and will continue to cause, Maas emotional distress and loss of earnings."
Maas was hired by KUSI in 2004 as a morning news co-anchor. In 2010, she was promoted to evening co-anchor.
The lawsuit states Maas initiated additional duties for herself in 2016 when she started writing, producing and anchoring a weekly segment called “Healthy Living.”
In 2017, court documents say Maas suspected she was underpaid compared to her male peers. The lawsuit claims her suspicions were confirmed when a former manager told her a male co-anchor was being paid $90,000 more than her per year.
The lawsuit states that in December of 2017, Maas brought up the issue of pay inequity during contract negotiations and “was given the runaround.”
After sending a written complaint to her manager and the station’s general manager, Mike McKinnon Jr., the lawsuit says McKinnon told Maas he “did not like the tone of [her] email.”
The last few paragraphs of the lawsuit claim failure to provide equal pay to women, gender and/or age discrimination, failure to prevent discrimination, and retaliation.
Maas’s last day at the station was June 13, 2019.
Read the full lawsuit below:
