Former PIX11 anchor Ojinika Obiekwe awarded more than $2.4 million in retaliation case

A federal jury found PIX11 and Nexstar Media Group retaliated against Ojinika Obiekwe after she spoke up about alleged workplace discrimination.

Journalist Ojinika Obiekwe’s lawsuit against PIX11 has ended with a federal jury verdict awarding the former anchor more than $2.4 million after finding that WPIX and Nexstar Media Group retaliated against her for speaking up about alleged racial discrimination. The decision adds to longstanding accounts from Black television journalists who say they faced discriminatory treatment inside local newsrooms.

Court documents obtained by Page Six show Obiekwe was awarded $1.137 million in compensatory damages for pain, suffering and emotional distress, along with $1.28 million in punitive damages following a weeklong trial.

Obiekwe spent 22 years at the New York station after beginning there as an intern in 2001. She later held several positions before becoming an entertainment anchor in 2017.

Her 2025 complaint alleged that the promotion left her performing work normally handled by two or three employees, including segment production and copy editing. She said white male entertainment anchors at other Nexstar stations had fewer responsibilities, stronger staffing support and better pay.

Obiekwe’s lawsuit also alleged that station leaders failed to address her complaints and eventually ended her employment after she continued speaking out. WPIX denied the accusations and argued that she was using a baseless lawsuit to challenge the consequences of poor performance.

“I feel great! I’m grateful to God,” Obiekwe said after the PIX11 retaliation case concluded. She also credited her attorneys with believing her account and guiding her through the legal fight.

Eric Abrams, one of her attorneys, said retaliation cases are difficult to win and described the result as a major vindication. He said the jury accepted Obiekwe’s version of events after PIX11 and Nexstar had rejected it.

Former WPIX reporter Narmeen Choudhury, who has said she left the station after experiencing Islamophobia, celebrated the verdict as a broader victory for others who believed they were mistreated in the newsroom.

Obiekwe said the outcome was not only personal, but also for every person she had watched experience wrongdoing at PIX11.

“You can’t fire people because they’re speaking up against discrimination,” she said.

WPIX did not comment on the ruling.