A former Register-Guard reporter is suing the newspaper's publishing company for firing her.
The lawsuit says Serena Markstrom Nugent was terminated after she became pregnant. The suit claims the firing amounts to gender discrimination.
Markstrom Nugent was a member of the Eugene Newspaper Guild which represents Register Guard employees. Randi Bjornstad is with the Guild, which tried to help when the paper re-assigned Markstrom Nugent from arts reporting to news.
Bjornstad: "But it quickly became apparent to us that the company had a different agenda which did not include Serena remaining on staff. And after she was fired, the Guild, with assistance from attorneys with the Communications Workers of America, filed for arbitration."
The guild withdrew the arbitration, Bjornstad says, after it became clear a lawsuit was the only way to pursue the issues.
A statement from Register-Guard Publisher Christian Anderson says the newspaper welcomes the opportunity to fight the lawsuit in court. It disputes Markstrom Nugent's claims of discrimination. The lawsuit seeks $525 thousand.
