Keith Girard
Catherine “Taryn” Hillin charges in a lawsuit that she was fired from TMZ after complaining about its sexist and discriminatory environment.
The suit was filed by former TMZ producer Catherine “Taryn” Hillin, who is being represented by lawyer Jennifer Clingo.
Apparently, TMZ’s frontman Harvey Levin escaped her wrath. But she names as defendants TMZ Productions, EHM Productions, Warner Bros., and direct supervisor Evan Rosenblum.
TMZ hired Hillin as a producer in February 2012. At the time, she “was the only female writer on the defendants’ website staff,” according to the suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Once she took the job, she says red flags started to fly. Hillin claims she learned that TMZ was run like a “boys club.” Another employee told her “good luck being a girl writer.”
She later learned that every other female writer had been fired within weeks. The only woman who lasted longer was fired after nine months, court papers claim.
Hillin says Rosenblum disparaged her by saying “Don’t be a girl,” and “Never cry in front of me.”
He also routinely yelled at her and “humiliated” her in front of other employees. At one point he allegedly yelled “You’re fucking shit,” the suit states.
Despite complaints to higher ups, the company did nothing to correct what she says was a hostile and discriminatory work environment.
Apparently that fact was well known.
Hillin says employees told her, “TMZ hates women,” “Evan [Rosenblum] hates women,” and “Sorry they treat you like that, you know how TMZ is with women.”
She says she also learned that men were routinely paid more than women.
After complaining about Rosenblum, she says TMZ fired her instead, on a pretext.
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