SAN DIEGO — Jury deliberations are underway in the ongoing civil trial of former news anchor Sandra Maas against KUSI.
On Wednesday, March 8, the courtroom was so crowded the judge allowed people to stand, as well as sit on the floor.
Both KUSI and Maas had a number of supporters there.
Maas is accusing KUSI of gender and age discrimination, as well as violating the state’s Equal Pay Act, saying her contract wasn't renewed in 2019 after voicing her concerns over pay inequities between herself and her co-anchor, Allen Denton.
During the weeks-long trial, it was revealed at one point, Maas was making $90,000 less than Denton, though the differential became less later in her career.
But, KUSI says Denton had more experience and worked more hours than Maas, which were among the reasons why he was paid more.
They talked about that during their closing arguments.
They also alleged Maas was a disgruntled employee.
"The law requires equal pay for equal work when there is equal merit. Here, there was no equal merit. Allen Denton was the more experienced anchor, he was the more highly decorated anchor, he was the more accomplished journalist. He was the more talented anchor in the judgment of KUSI's news director,” said KUSI’s attorney, Ken Fitzgerald.
Meanwhile, Maas's attorney, Josh Gruenberg, described her as hard-working, and well-respected in the market, reminding the jury other witnesses testified the same thing.
He said this case is relevant to employees everywhere.
"We are already familiar with phrases like gender discrimination, equal pay, and retaliation because we hear about these things in headlines and read about them in newspapers, or movies, but what we haven't seen, what goes unsaid, in the headlines is just how deeply rooted those problems are in the corporations in this country and in this corporation," said Gruenberg.
Maas is seeking $10 million in damages.
The jury started deliberating late Wednesday afternoon.
It’s unclear how long those deliberations will take.