Hicks
Hicks v. KNTV TELEVISION, INC.
Opinion
Opinion
Premo, J.
Plaintiff Bradford Hicks, a White man, was the 5:00 p.m. weeknight news anchor for defendant KNTV Television, Inc. (KNTV). When plaintiff’s contract expired in 2003, KNTV chose not to negotiate a new contract with him. Several months later the station selected an African-American man to fill the position plaintiff had vacated. Plaintiff sued KNTV and National Broadcasting Company, Inc. (NBC), alleging causes of action for racial discrimination under Government Code section 12940 and for wrongful termination under Government Code section 12940 and 42 United States Code section 1981 .
Defendants moved for summary judgment, setting forth evidence to show that they had chosen not to retain plaintiff because the newly hired vice-president of news was dissatisfied with plaintiff’s performance on the air. The trial court granted the motion and plaintiff has appealed from the resulting judgment. We shall affirm.
I. Facts
In April 2000, plaintiff signed an employment contract with KNTV. The contract was for a term of one year (May 1, 2000, to April 30, 2001), with two one-year extensions exercisable at the option of KNTV. KNTV exercised both one-year options, extending…