Stormy Weather for CBS News

The Wallstreet Journal reported today that longtime CBS News weatherman George Cullen has filed suite against CBS in federal court alleging that he was terminated due to his age (Cullen is 58). The lawsuit alleges that CBS terminated Cullen (after 29 years with the network) in favor of a younger, less experienced staffer. The lawsuit also alleges that CBS purportedly terminated Cullen for failing to show up for a mandatory training session. This should be an interesting case, which will turn on whether Cullen and his legal team can prove that CBS's reason for his termination - his alleged failing to attend the training session - was merely a pretext. The fact that Cullen has been replaced with a younger, less experienced staffer will help his case, but is not dispositive. Cullen will need to marshal additional evidence to prove that he was terminated solely, or predominantly, because of his age. The Journal reports that Cullen appeared on The CBS Evening News, The CBS Early Show, and The CBS NFL Today over the years. Cullen was CBS's chief meteorologist. (see www.wsj.com for more)