Newsreader sacked on maternity leave sues Seven West

Kerry Stokes’s Seven West Media has been hit with its third high-profile lawsuit from a woman in the past six months.

Talitha Cummins.

Billionaire Kerry Stokes’s Seven West Media has been hit with its third high-profile employment lawsuit from a woman in the past six months, with newsreader Talitha Cummins taking a claim she was sacked while on maternity leave to the Federal Circuit Court.

The new lawsuit comes as Seven battles former executive assistant Amber Harrison in two courts over allegations related to her affair with the company’s chief executive, Tim Worner, and follows its settlement of a legal stoush with Adelaide-based reporter Amy Taeuber over alleged sexual harassment.

Seven has also suffered from turbulence in Western Australia, Sydney and Los Angeles.

West Australian chief executive Chris Wharton suddenly went on long-service leave in December on the same day his chief financial officer, Mark Shelton, left the group. Wharton never returned and “retired” earlier this month.

In Sydney, Seven is suing commercial director of programming John Fitzgerald over an alleged $8.02m fraud while in Los Angeles, and a suspected fraud against the group has recently been resolved internally.

Cummins has employed high-profile employment lawyer John Laxon, who pursued Seven’s rival Nine over the sacking of 60 Minutes producer Stephen Rice following the Beirut debacle last year, to handle her dispute.

The fresh case comes as only one woman sits on the Seven board, following the shock resignation last month of Gilbert & Tobin partner Sheila McGregor amid the unfolding Harrison saga.

Seven’s remaining female director, Michelle Deaker, did not return calls yesterday.

In a claim lodged with the Federal Circuit Court a fortnight ago, Cummins says she agreed to take the job of reading the news on the Saturday and Sunday editions of Sunrise for $1400 a week in a conversation with Mr Worner in January 2014.

She alleges that in October, while she was on maternity leave, Seven news director Craig McPherson told her she would not be going back to her job when she returned to work in February. Instead, he allegedly offered her the position of 5am newsreader at the same weekly rate.

Cummins says she refused the offer because it required additional hours for the same money and conflicted with her family duties.

Seven’s lawyers responded by saying she was only a casual, wasn’t entitled to leave and had ceased work with the company in July 2016.

Cummins went public with her dispute in January ahead of a mediation before the Fair Work Commission, which failed to resolve the stoush in February.

She told The Australian she “never wanted any bad blood” with Seven and had tried to settle the case. “Unfortunately we have not been able to reach anything like a reasonable settlement,” she said. “The issue at stake is an important one, not only for me but for many women, as I’ve observed in practice.

“Many aren’t in a position to defend their workplace rights. I’m in the fortunate position where I can. I also have a child now and I feel it’s important to set an example for him about respect for women in the workplace.”

A Seven spokesman said Cummins was employed as a casual newsreader.

“She was offered a network newsreader role, with fewer hours and the same pay, and was given over two months to determine whether she wanted the new role but decided not to take up the offer,” he said.

“Ms Cummins was never dismissed and was never required to work at 2am as contended in the claim. It is disappointing Ms Cummins would continue this matter and we will strongly defend our position.”

In a separate Federal Circuit Court case, Adelaide cadet TV reporter Amy Taeuber filed legal action against Seven in October last year alleging she was sexually harassed by Today Tonight reporter Rodney Lohse.

Ms Taeuber alleged that during a conversation with workmates at Seven Mr Lohse said she must be a lesbian because one in three women are lesbians and she is a triplet.

After Ms Taeuber complained Seven also allegedly engaged in a retaliatory investigation into a Facebook page run by Ms Taeuber’s other sister, Kate, and then sacked her. The case was discontinued on Monday last week following a confidential settlement.

Meanwhile, Ms Harrison last week launched a Federal Court action against Seven over her dismissal from the company following her affair with Mr Worner. At the same time, Seven is suing her in the NSW Supreme Court, which has gagged her from talking to the media about the company.