Ex-WISH-TV meteorologist suing Circle City Broadcasting to break non-compete disclosure
Brown, WISH-TV's chief meteorologist for more than six years, announced earlier this year that she was fired after questioning the TV station's treatment of Black women employees.
In her lawsuit, Brown argues that the non-compete on her employment contract with Circle City Broadcasting should be unenforceable under Indiana law. Many broadcast stations require their on-air talent to sign agreements that they will wait a specified amount of time before taking a position at a competitor should they leave their employer.
Brown, who was terminated Feb. 20, 2025, had renewed her contract three years earlier at Circle City Broadcasting's request, which is standard for working TV news talent. The agreement stated that for one year after leaving the station for any reason, she would not accept employment in the media industry.
After Brown's termination, on June 27, 2025, her lawyer wrote a letter to Circle City Broadcasting owner DuJuan McCoy requesting she be released from her non-compete agreement.
Ashley Brown: WISH-TV meteorologist says she was fired after questioning how station treats Black women
The lawsuit states that moments after receiving the letter, McCoy sent an email in which he expressed his personal grievances regarding Brown. He also refused to release her from the non-compete, which Circle City Broadcasting claimed is "a standard industry non-compete."
McCoy later apologized that day in a separate email for the spelling and grammatical errors in his response, saying he wrote the initial response on a golf course.
The lawsuit states that Brown's non-compete is unenforceable under Indiana law because it is overly broad.
An Indiana court recently denied the company's motion for a temporary restraining order against a different former employee relating to the same "standard" non-compete.
In that case, the court held that Circle City Broadcasting did not prove a likelihood of success at trial, finding that similar 'broad restrictions' like the one in that employee's contract and Brown's go too far.
Brown now has an opportunity in the industry to begin new employment in the Indianapolis area, according to her lawsuit, meaning that "time is of the essence" in the matter.
The lawsuit is seeking a declaratory judgment, which essentially would clarify the legality of the non-compete clause. That would mean that if Brown takes the new opportunity, Circle City Broadcasting couldn't sue her.
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