Cleveland-based television news station WKYC and its affiliates are denying the charges made against it by a former meteorologist.
The defendants in the case filed by Hollie Strano, who was dismissed from the news station in September, include WKYC-TV, Tegna National Sales and Finance, and Micki Byrnes, president and general manager of the television station.
They are asking Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Nancy A. Fuerst to dismiss the case and to award the defendants costs and attorneys’ fees, according to the Feb. 7 court filing.
More:Former WKYC personality Hollie Strano shares her sobriety journey
Strano, who worked for WKYC for more than 22 years, claims in the lawsuit that she was terminated for sharing her story on social media regarding her treatment for alcoholism and for promoting a product on her social media pages.
On Nov. 23, 2023, Strano was arrested by Cuyahoga Falls police after her vehicle crashed near a business on Akron-Peninsula Road. She later pleaded guilty to one count of operating a vehicle under the influence, a first-degree misdemeanor, in Cuyahoga Falls Mayor’s Court.
UB Greensfelder LLP, the legal firm for WKYC and the other defendants, could not be reached for comment.
Strano’s legal representatives could not be reached for comment.
According to a report from WKYC, Byrnes is planning to retire in April.
Reporter April Helms can be reached at ahelms@thebeaconjournal.com.
