Preview:

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF WISCONSIN

LISA M. TORRES, Plaintiff, v. WEIGEL BROADCASTING COMPANY, Defendant. Case No. 09-C-1095

DECISION AND ORDER Plaintiff Lisa M. Torres has filed this suit under the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA") against her former employer, Weigel Broadcasting Company. She claims that Weigel discriminated against her because of her alleged disability--anxiety disorder--and retaliated against her for complaining about disability discrimination. Weigel has moved for summary judgment on these claims. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 56. I. BACKGROUND The following facts are stated as favorably to plaintiff as the record allows. Weigel is a television broadcasting company that has a news station in Milwaukee. In March 2007, Weigel hired plaintiff as a part-time member of the production crew. The production crew is responsible for operating certain equipment during news broadcasts, including cameras, teleprompters, and audio equipment. Plaintiff's immediate supervisor was Bryan Hughes. At the time she was hired, plaintiff had no previous experience on a production crew. Weigel put her on a 90-day probationary period, and during the first 60 days of this period she performed poorly. In fact, her performance was so poor that a director, Brian Sikorski,

recommended that she be terminated. Because of these performance issues, Hughes decided to meet with plaintiff prior to the expiration of her probationary period. This meeting occurred on May 31, 2007. Cheryl Lenzo, Hughes's supervisor, and Christina Camps, the human-resources manager, also attended. During the meeting, Hughes informed plaintiff of a number of deficiencies in her performance, including issues relating to her handling of the camera. He also verbally reprimanded her in connection with an incident in which she had abandoned her camera during a live broadcast without informing anyone. Plaintiff explained that this incident occurred because she suddenly felt sick and had to go to the bathroom. Hughes said that he understood that sudden illnesses might occur, but he told her that she must inform the director before leaving her post so that the director did not switch the shot to her camera during her absence. Plaintiff said she understood and that she would tell someone if a situation like that occurred in the future. At the conclusion of the meeting, plaintiff was informed that her probationary period would be extended beyond 90 days and that Hughes would develop a written list of areas that needed improvement. At some point in the summer of 2007, plaintiff informed Hughes that she had anxiety and depression issues, and that, "workwise," she would get nervous easily. (Torres Dep. [Docket #31-1] at 53

Download 26224.pdf

Wisconsin Law