Former KSL reporter Jack Ford has accused KSL of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by firing him because he is diabetic.
Ford, now the public information officer for the Department of Corrections, filed a civil rights suit against Bonneville International, KSL's parent company, in U.S. District Court.He wants a federal judge to order KSL to rehire him as a reporter as well as pay him an unspecified amount of cash for firing him.
"KSL intends to vigorously defend itself against this lawsuit," said Brian Johnson, attorney for the station. "KSL remains convinced that the lawsuit has no merit whatsoever. Beyond that, we have no comment."
KSL fired Ford in October 1992 after a series of problems related to his health.
In 1990 Ford had a minor traffic accident with a company car, the suit says. The accident occurred because Ford's blood sugar was low.
Eighteen months later, in December 1991, Ford passed out at the station when his blood sugar dropped. Paramedics were called.
KSL put Ford on 90 days' warned status because of that incident, even though Ford did not miss any work after the episode, the suit says.
In a Jan. 9, 1992, memo to Ford, then-KSL News Director Lee Roderick wrote, "We feel vulnerable when we have to call the paramedics to come to your aid, particularly when we have been assured that with appropriate diet, your diabetic condition can be adequately controlled."
In the same memo, Roderick also told Ford that KSL had some other concerns: Ford's finances were troubled, his productivity was low and station personnel often did not know where he was during the day.
"In order for you to focus, be productive and effective, we feel you need to take care of your personal health and finance matters."
"We do not believe that those concerns are valid. They are really a subterfuge to hide the discrimination against Jack because of his diabetes," said Eric Strindberg, attorney for Ford.
Ford had no problems for several months, according to the suit.
In July, 1992, Ford failed to give the station a live report from the scene of a traffic accident. Ford couldn't get the live feed to the station because two of his cameramen were feuding, the suit says. Ford told KSL management his health had nothing to do with the incident.
But KSL concluded that Ford suffered low blood sugar at the scene and, in August 1992, placed him on six months' probation, the suit says. If Ford didn't suffer low blood sugar, then he "willfully chose not to cooperate with the photographers in covering the story" KSL management told him in an Aug. 17, 1992, memo. "You were sent to do a job and you failed to do it," the memo says.
But KSL also noted that Ford's productivity and attitude had improved, according to the suit.
In September, KSL management suspended Ford without pay because he appeared to suffer from low blood sugar during a meeting at the station. The company accused Ford of violating his probation because he had seemed disoriented during a two-hour conference with a media consultant.
KSL made the accusation because Ford hesitated when leaving the meeting, debating whether to take some television equipment with him, the suit says. Ford denied being disoriented at the meeting.
KSL told Ford at the time that he would likely be fired. Roderick fired Ford several weeks later after Roderick returned from a business trip.
The company gave Ford 35 weeks' pay as part of a severance package.
Ford had worked for KSL since 1963 and been diabetic since the early 1970s.