Christine Craft - Lawsuit

Lawsuit

In January 1981 Craft became co-anchor with Scott Feldman on the 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscast on KMBC-TV. Following the addition of Craft to the news program, the station's newscasts went from third to first in the ratings. Eight months into her two-year contract, Craft was removed from the anchor position in August, 1981 after a focus group had determined she was "too old, too unattractive and wouldn't defer to men." At that time there was only one woman over the age of forty anchoring a newscast at a network affiliate in the United States. Craft refused to accept the demotion, and went public with her disagreement with the station through an interview in a local newspaper. She left KMBC and returned to doing television in Santa Barbara.

While working in Santa Barbara, Craft filed a TITLE VII lawsuit against Metromedia, and in 1983, a federal jury in Kansas City awarded her $500,000 in damages. A federal judge overturned the award and ordered a second trial, this time in Joplin, Missouri. The second jury also awarded her $500,000. Metromedia appealed and the 8th Circuit Court subsequently overturned the decision. Craft's appeal to the United States Supreme Court's decision was denied, although Supreme Court Judge Sandra Day O'Connor did write in favor of hearing the case. Several employment-law references include her case as an example of Title VII discrimination lawsuits.