Report: Melissa McGurren Files $10M Defamation Lawsuit Against Hubbard/Chicago

Ferguson (Photo: Twitter)

AUDACY Country WUSN (US99)/CHICAGO morning co-host MELISSA McGURREN reportedly filed a $10 million defamation suit last week (10/14) against her former employer, HUBBARD RADIO, parent company of Hot AC WTMX (101.9 THE MIX)/CHICAGO. It’s the latest development in the ongoing controversy surrounding MIX morning host and 2016 RADIO HALL OF FAME inductee ERIC FERGUSON, who is off the air through OCTOBER (NET NEWS 10/6).

According to reports from the CHICAGO TRIBUNE and CHICAGO media writer ROBERT FEDER, McGURREN’s suit comes on the heels of HUBBARD’S defense of FERGUSON against her earlier complaint to the EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION claiming he was "a serial abuser of women" who had subjected her to an “unbearable hostile work environment.”

While declining to comment on the lawsuit, HUBBARD RADIO CHICAGO VP/Market Mgr. JEFF ENGLAND "said in a message to employees OCTOBER 5th [that] the company 'thoroughly investigated this matter previously. Suffice it to say that we do not agree with MELISSA’s characterization of events'," the newspaper reports.

In last week's lawsuit, McGURREN claimed HUBBARD "did not perform an investigation or conducted 'a sham investigation' into her allegations, and the company attacked her credibility and integrity with comments it made ... to staff," the TRIBUNE reports.

McGURREN attached a court filing to her lawsuit from former WTMX afternoon co-host and traffic reporter JENNIFER “ROBERTS” ASHRAFI, who called FERGUSON "rude and dismissive to women" and claimed HUBBARD created “a hostile, humiliating atmosphere” for female employees. ASHRAFI's document also reportedly claimed that she quit her job at the station because she was so “disgusted” by the “misogyny, gender discrimination and hostile work environment that was pervasive” at the station.

McGURREN departed WTMX in 2020 after 22 years. ASHRAFI quit the station in 2020 after more than a decade.

As previously reported, former MIX morning show assistant producer CYNTHIA DENICOLO earlier filed separate lawsuits against FERGUSON and HUBBARD (NET NEWS 9/27). Another former employee, KRISTEN MORI, supported DENICOLO's defamation suit against HUBBARD with a declaration claiming that FERGUSON groped her at a WTMX’s holiday party in 2003. HUBBARD is not commenting on the women's claims.

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