A pair of former television news executives who were fired by Nexstar Media Group for writing and circulating a controversial memo about Pride Month coverage are likely headed for trial in their wrongful termination and defamation case against the broadcaster.
Earlier this month, a federal judge overseeing the related cases brought by former WOOD-TV (Channel 8, NBC) news directors Stanton Tang and Amy Fox scheduled jury selection for October 6, which will officially kick off a trial on the matter that is expected to take several days.
In a brief order reviewed by The Desk, U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker set a strict schedule for each day of the trial: Court will start promptly at 8 a.m., end at 2 p.m., and feature two 20-minute breaks, with no stop for lunch.
“The parties should plan their presentations and witnesses accordingly, and should not expect extensions or early termination of trial days,” Jonker wrote.
The case stretches back to 2023, when Tang directed Fox to write a memo urging reporters at WOOD-TV to pull back on their coverage of Pride Month events in the Grand Rapids area.
Fox warned that too much coverage of Pride Month celebrations had the potential to inflame the station’s conservative viewers. Tang later acknowledged that his views on the matter were influenced by conversations with members of his church, according to court records.
Newsroom employees vowed not to follow the memo’s directive, and copies were leaked to reporters at other outlets. The Desk was the first to publish the full memo, and the matter soon gained the attention of other publications like Crain’s Business Journal, the Detroit Free Press and CNN.
Executives at Nexstar launched a probe into the matter; three weeks later, Fox and Tang were fired, as were two employees suspected of leaking the memo or discussing its contents without approval. The following year, Fox and Tang filed separate wrongful termination and defamation lawsuits, accusing Nexstar and some of its executives, including Chief Communications Officer Gary Weitman and Vice President Julie Brinks, of violating state and federal employment laws.
Earlier this year, Jonker dismissed a number of claims made against Nexstar, but he allowed certain charges of defamation to continue, including one in which the former news directors accuse Weitman and Nexstar of improperly disclosing the members of the media the circumstances of their firings in violation of Michigan employee protection laws.
The parties have met several times to discuss ways to avoid a trial, but none of those conversations resulted in a settlement. Nothing in the judge’s order scheduling a trial prevents Tang or Fox from reaching an out-of-court settlement before the jury is empaneled in October.
Nexstar has denied any wrongdoing in the case.
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