CLEVELAND, Ohio - Former WKYC TV personality Hollie Strano, who was fired by the station earlier this year, claims in a lawsuit that she was let go unfairly.
Strano claims that the reason given for her dismissal, which had to do with a social media post she made last summer, was "merely pretext for discrimination."
Strano, who openly shared her struggles with depression and anxiety while working for WKYC, was dismissed in July, several months after she began to discuss her experiences with addiction following a harrowing accident on Thanksgiving night in 2023.
Several days after the accident, which was prominently featured in the media, she pleaded guilty to one count of operating a vehicle under the influence.
Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer reached out to WKYC, seeking a comment on the lawsuit.
In the lawsuit, filed Monday in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, Strano cites glowing reviews she received from the company over the years, including praise in 2016 for her social media contributions that made her "one of the most popular social personalities in this market and with Tegna." Tegna Inc. owns and operates the station.
Strano also claims in the lawsuit that she was encouraged by her employer "to use her platform to discuss her disabilities of anxiety and depression" and that a 2021 performance review stated that viewers related to a series Strano did on on mental health and her personal experiences.
Things changed, however, after the 2023 accident, according to the lawsuit. Her pay was cut by 35%, although she remained employed by the station and had her contract extended in February and July of this year.
Strano's decision to talk publicly about her treatment for alcohol use disorder, however, was not accepted by the station the way it had approved of her public openness about depression and anxiety, the lawsuit says.
WKYC General Manager Micki Byrnes told Strano "to stop publicly speaking about her experience with addiction recovery and instructed her to only speak about the weather," the lawsuit states.
In 2024, Strano received her first negative performance review in 22 years at the station, according to the lawsuit.
"In the review, defendants claimed Strano's performance was not meeting expectations because she was speaking publicly about her addiction and addiction recovery," the lawsuit states. Strano claims the defendants did not treat other employees with less-stigmatized disabilities the same way.
Strano was fired on July 15, according to the lawsuit, "purportedly for tagging" the soft drink, Poppi, in a social media post against company policy, but Strano claims she did not tag the brand in her post that read "Fall in love with taking care of yourself! Coca-cola you're out, Poppi you are in!"
She states it had been confirmed with her in April 2024 that "mentioning third parties, brands or services did not violate WKYC and Tegna's social media policy unless the brand, product or service was tagged in the post."
Strano also claims she was not in violation of a company policy that prevents posting "about a brand, product or service in exchange for anything of value," according to the filing.
In the lawsuit, Strano says she has suffered damages because of her firing, "including, but not limited to, pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of professional reputation, and loss of past and future wages, benefits and other privileges and conditions of employment."