A news writer with PBS who was fired for expressing admiration of Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, complains of a double standard because his female coworkers were heard saying Justin Trudeau was “hot” without similar consequences.
The unexpected Canadian content appears in a civil lawsuit filed in New York by Hugh Heckman, alleging wrongful termination because of his gender.
Heckman, 72, was working on a story about Prince Harry and his then fiancée, actress Meghan Markle, on Nov. 25, 2017, according to his statement of claim.
He was looking at a photograph of Markle with another male employee when he said “not bad.”
Two women in the office spoke out against the comment, his claim states.
One woman, sitting some six metres away and unable to see the photo in question, his claim says, said his comment contravened company training on sexual harassment in the workplace; another said “Haven’t you learned?”
Heckman denied his comment had a sexual connotation.
It was, he claims, “intended to convey that the Duchess (of Sussex, as Markle is now known) possessed charm and beauty and was a suitable match for her fiancé, who has a reputation of possessing charm and handsome looks.”
