Jeremy Kappell Goes After Mayor Lovely Warren in New Lawsuit

Written by Jasmine

We all remember former WHEC Chief Meteorologist, Jeremy Kappell, who was fired from his position after an apparent on-air slip-up that resulted in the use of a racial slur on live TV. During a January 4th evening news broadcast, Kappell said the phrase “Dr. Luther C**n King Jr. Park” while referring to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Square Park in downtown Rochester, which many believe was intentional.

Well, after filing a previous lawsuit against WHEC-TV and Hubbard Broadcasting, Kappell is now back with another suit. This time he’s going after city of Rochester Mayor Lovely A. Warren for “tortious interference with a business relationship, defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress”, and those aren’t even all of the claims.

According to Kappell, not only was he fired without a proper interview or investigation, but Mayor Warren and the city demanded his removal “through public statements and in their official capacity”. Although he could not provide an exact timeline, WHEC Vice President and General Manager Richard Reingold stands by the claim that the decision to terminate Kappell was finalized before WHEC-TV learned of the Mayor’s call to do so.

When this story broke in the beginning of the year, Jeremy Kappell’s termination sparked a national debate. Many were on his side, believing he genuinely made a mistake, however there were several others who believed the remark was purposeful. Kappell is currently seeking a monetary judgement to be determined by a jury.