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| Heather Ishimaru |
The tab might come soon for KGO-TV and Circle Seven’s News Director Tracey Watkowski-Silva. And it might make a night at the House of Prime Rib followed by a nightcap at the Top of the Mark look cheap, just like me!
A SF Judge just threw out a major component of the company’s argument against claims that Watkowski contributed to a debilitating aneurysm suffered by reporter Heather Ishimaru in 2013.
Ishimaru built a reputation as a solid street, police beat, and courthouse reporter during her time at the Bay Area’s ABC O and O. Her assignments included some water cooler topics like the San Francisco Dog Mauling Trial, the Scott Peterson case, and the Fajitagate scandal that clipped the wings of many SFPD top brass.
Ishimaru has accused her former boss Watkowski of creating a hostile work environment that generated life-changing stress. Ishimaru’s lawsuit has demanded a sum north of $80 Million dollars from KGO and its corporate parent, the Walt Disney Company. With Judge Harold Kahn sustaining an objective by Ishimaru’s legal team against testimony brought by a pair of Mickey Mouse medical experts, the door might have just opened for KGO-TV to cut its losses and pay.
Isihimaru may not receive the tens of millions her suit asked for, but it is likely that a few million here and there will keep this matter quiet thus avoiding an embarrassing moment for an image conscious and so-called family friend company.
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| Tracey Watkowski-Silva |
And if you’re a betting man, there are odds this could be Trixie having to turn in her mouse ears. Watkowski’s bar tab will likely surpass $10 Million with her latest legal scrape. Any company must ask itself if an employee who doesn’t generate revenue is worth such losses. When you factor in the intangibles of broken newsroom morale and sinking ratings, not even a pre-diet Oprah could counterbalance the bill Trixie has generated.
So where does KGO go if Trixie mounts her broom and flies away from the Tragic Kingdom? Right now, Trixie’s second in command is on maternity leave and that might set up an ugly cat fight between two, ambitious female executive producers who on a good day could credibly pinch hit for Disney archvillianess Cruella Deville.
Does GM Bill Burton bring in a KABC mid-manager from Dodger Country to irritate a room of Giants fans? Or does a savior parachute in to restore goodwill and loyalty among a tattered staff?
Stay tuned, lots could be going at KGO's, real “News Scene."
To prove by a preponderance of the evidence that a news director created a hostile work environment(the benchmark of most newsrooms) and that this caused a stroke...is not as easy as you might think. The ND here does not incur any personal liability. Isn't ABC 7 on top of the ratings heap? If so, the ND is already earning her keep, whether you or anyone else likes her. Did Miss Ishimaru have any other risk factors for stroke? a bout of DVT, for example? a diet high in animal fats which cause arterial clogs?
ReplyDeleteWhat can you tell us about Heather Ishimaru's current condition, the extent of her recovery, and her prognosis? As I recall, she suffered a massive stroke and brain hemorrhage 3.5 years ago.
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