Local New York Univision reporter Miriam Ayala filed a federal lawsuit against the local Univision station (channel 41) and the larger network, claiming that she was passed over for plum positions anchoring and on good stories because she wasn’t light skinned enough, young enough or pretty enough.

The Federal Civil Rights lawsuit, (which you can read via TMZ of all places) Ayala states that despite her over 25 year career at the station she was moved from prime-time reporting to graveyard shift reporting. She also states that she was offered early retirement (meaning get the hell out cuz you’re making too much noise) and told how to dress appropriately. Her vacation requests, despite being made in a timely fashion according the Univision policy, were denied according to the lawsuit.

I have seen Ayala work, om the air and on the opposite end of the Univision camera and have always seen her act in a most professional manner. Plus anyone watching Spanish language news knows that Latina women on air, be it in the newsroom or in the novelas, are often light-skinned and conventionally “pretty”. I believe that her lawsuit has merit. Let’s see where this goes.

Read the entire lawsuit at TMZ. (Save yourself the headache and don’t read the comments though)