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Journalist Felicia Sonmez previously said she was banned from covering stories of sexual misconduct because she openly stated that she herself was a survivor of sexual assault.
The ban was finally lifted earlier this year, the lawsuit said, after Sonmez criticized the newspaper both privately and publicly over the policy. It was instituted during the tenure of former editor Marty Baron, who retired from the newspaper in February.
But, as The Post lifted its ban on his ability to write articles about issues of sexual misconduct, Sonmez’s lawsuit said serious damage had already been done.
The lawsuit alleged that she suffered “economic loss, humiliation, embarrassment, mental and emotional distress and deprivation of her rights to equal employment opportunities.”
“On several occasions, Ms Sonmez became severely depressed, developed intense anxiety, and received treatment from therapists and psychiatrists that she continues to see today,” Sonmez’s trial said, adding that she was treated. had also prescribed antidepressants which she continues to take.
“She also experienced physical pain, including severe pain in her jaw due to teeth grinding at night,” the lawsuit continued, claiming that she “eventually developed a temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ ) “due to actions taken by The Post and its editors.
As a result, according to the lawsuit, she “had to undergo two oral surgeries to relieve the pain in her jaw.”
Sonmez filed his complaint in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. It named as defendants The Post and Baron as well as the editor-in-chief Cameron Barr; editor-in-chief Tracy Grant; National Editor Steven Ginsberg; Associate National Editor Lori Montgomery; and senior political editor Peter Wallsten. Spokesmen for The Post did not immediately comment. Baron declined to comment.
Sonmez said in a statement to CNN Business that she believes “survivors of trauma, including sexual assault, deserve the full support of their editorial staff.”
“They should never have to fear being punished, silenced or prevented from doing their job because of what has been done to them,” she said.
The man who Sonmez said assaulted her denied the allegations and said the meeting was consensual.
Sonmez’s lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages as well as a permanent injunction ordering The Post and its editors to “take all necessary positive steps to remedy the effects of the unlawful, discriminatory and retaliatory conduct described” in the trial.
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