Journalist Sues Claiming PBS Unfairly Fired Him For Calling Meghan Markle 'Not Bad'

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Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, visits the National Kiwi Hatchery at Rainbow Springs, in Rotorua, New Zealand, on October 31. A PBS journalist is suing his employer, claiming his description of Markle as “not... Phil Noble - Pool/Getty Images

A journalist is suing the news organization he worked for, claiming that it unfairly fired him for describing Meghan Markle, now known as Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, as "not bad."

Hugh Heckman, 72, has filed a complaint in a court in New York against PBS for wrongful termination and sex discrimination.

According to the suit obtained by DailyMail.com, Heckman was working on a story for PBS Newshour in November 2017 on the Royal Family when he and a colleague looked at an image of the Duchess of Sussex and was said to have muttered "not bad."

One of two women sitting nearby challenged him on his comment, saying, "Haven't you learned?"

He responded by saying his comment was not meant to be sexual and that he wanted to convey that Markle "possessed charm and beauty and was a suitable match for her fiancé, who has a reputation of possessing charm and handsome looks."

He lost his job two days later and alleges PBS did not investigate the matter and failed to get his side of the story.

National Post reported that the women who had complained had once referred to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as "hot" and there was no investigation or disciplinary action.

Heckman's New York–based attorney, Jillian T. Weiss, told DailyMail.com that it was a '"a knee-jerk reaction and does not serve the #MeToo movement."

"It is not right under our law to say, 'We are assuming you committed sexual harassment because you are a man" and the women who have made equivalent types of statements are just going to be left off the hook. That's a double standard.'"

PBS Newshour has not commented on the case, National Post reported.

The royal couple has just completed a 16-day tour of the South Pacific, including Tonga, New Zealand and Australia. Their next public appearance will be at London's Royal Albert Hall on November 10 for a remembrance service for Armistice Day.

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