Weatherwoman Wants Award Made Public

ATLANTA (CN) - The Weather Channel threatened to sue a weather forecaster and her attorney to try to intimidate them into keeping silent about her award in a sexual harassment claim against the station, Hilary Andrews claims in Federal Court.

Andrews claims The Weather Channel tolerated her sexual harassment at the hands of another TV "personality" because her harasser had good ratings. She demanded arbitration in August 2006, under terms of her contract, claiming sexual harassment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence and retaliation.

She claims the arbitrator granted her an unspecified award after hearings in December 2007. She claims that nothing in the arbitration agreement or her previous contract required her to keep the results of the arbitration secret. But she says The Weather Channel threatened her and her attorney in a letter that stated, "The Weather Channel Inc. will not hesitate to take all appropriate action to hold you and your client fully and personally responsible for any and all penalties and remedies available under the law, including all damages caused by any such disclosure."

She claims that in the Feb. 15, 2007 "TWC made the threat in bad faith, in hopes that the threat of litigation would intimidate Ms. Andrews into silence."

She seeks declaratory judgment confirming the award and confirming her right to go public with it.

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