Veteran Reporter Says Gannett Stiffed Her

TUCSON (CN) - A longtime reporter for the Tucson Citizen says Gannett Co. refused to pay her the severance package it promised.

Alice Flick, who worked for the afternoon paper for 15 years under the byline A.J. Flick, sued Gannett and Citizen Publishing, saying she stuck with dying newspaper until the very end and gave up other job opportunities based on promises that have not been kept.

The Citizen folded this year after 138 years. It had operated under a joint operating agreement with the Arizona Daily Star, a morning paper, since 1940.

Flick says Gannett offered employees who stayed with the paper beyond March 21 this year a severance package equal to "one week of pay for each year of service to the company." But she says the media giant refused to pay up.

Flick continued to write for the paper until she was fired in April, she says. The paper ceased printing in May and now operates as a Web site.

Flick says she "determined to forgo other employment opportunities and career opportunities," and that she "relied to her detriment on promises" made by Gannett.

Flick wants her severance package, tripled, and damages for breach of contract and detrimental reliance.

She is represented in Pima County Court by Adam Watters.

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