Oprah Winfrey is being sued by a former employee for sex discrimination. Carolyn Hommel is claiming she lost her job with Oprah’s OWN network due to her pregnancy, according to TMZ on Feb. 2.
Hommel filed the lawsuit against Oprah on Friday. Hommel was hired in 2010 as a senior director of scheduling and acquisitions for the OWN network. According to Hommel’s claims, she was told she was on the track to become a VP.
When Hommel became pregnant, her duties began slowly being transferred to temporary employees. When Hommel returned from medical leave after having her baby, she claims she was excluded from meetings. Hommel was let go one month after giving birth to her baby.
When Hommel returned to Oprah’s OWN network after having her baby she was told to re-apply for the VP position, but was passed over for the job. Hommel also claims that her boss, Michael Garner, fabricated her performance review to make it look like her duties and responsibilities were not those of what a senior director have. This also contributed to her not being a candidate for the VP position.
