Bree Smith Lawsuit: Harassment, Deepfakes, and Retaliation

The Bree Smith lawsuit, filed December 29, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, accuses Scripps Media, Inc., owner of Nashville’s NewsChannel 5, of gender discrimination, sexual harassment by a colleague, retaliation after she complained, and refusing to act when she was targeted with AI-generated sexually explicit deepfake images. The case is captioned Friedrichs v. Scripps Media, Inc., No. 3:25-cv-01494.¹ Smith, a meteorologist at the station for nine years, resigned in January 2025.²

What the Harassment Claims Allege

The complaint centers on Henry Rothenberg, a weather forecaster who joined NewsChannel 5 in 2016.² In 2017, the suit says, Rothenberg told Smith she only got her job because of her breasts. Smith reported it to manager Michelle Bonnett and, according to the complaint, nothing was done.³ The same year, when Smith was visibly upset over the death of a friend’s child, Rothenberg allegedly attributed her state to pregnancy rather than grief.⁴ In 2019, the complaint says, he used a derogatory sexist slur against multiple women, both privately and in front of other industry professionals.

The Investigation Smith Calls a Sham

In July 2022, after Smith filed formal complaints, the station opened an internal investigation. Managers promised a “neutral third party,” and the investigator, Katie Ford, assured Smith she was impartial. The lawsuit alleges Ford was actually a Scripps employee. Rothenberg received a disciplinary letter. Vice president and general manager Lyn Plantinga reportedly called his behavior “hugely distressing” and “absolutely terrible,” and promised “100-percent zero tolerance” going forward. In 2023, according to the complaint, Rothenberg was named to lead the station’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program.³

How the Station Allegedly Retaliated

After the investigation, the complaint says, management turned on Smith. She was removed from co-writing the weather team’s staffing schedule, and her community engagement duties were eventually eliminated.³ She was also required to submit a detailed written summary of her community engagement work each week, an oversight requirement the lawsuit says was not imposed on other employees.⁵

The Deepfake Images and Management’s Response

Starting in October 2024, Smith began receiving emails containing AI-generated sexually explicit images featuring her face.⁵³ Smith has described the station’s refusal to intervene as the “last straw” that led her to resign.²

Appearance Rules Applied Only to Women

The complaint alleges NewsChannel 5 required female on-air staff to wear fake eyelashes and attend sessions with a media style consultant for outfits and makeup. The consultant, according to the complaint, “criticized their bodies.”³ Male employees faced no equivalent requirements.⁶

What Smith Is Seeking and Where the Case Stands

Smith is represented by attorneys John Spragens and David Kieley. The lawsuit is brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (42 U.S.C. § 2000e) and seeks monetary damages for emotional distress, humiliation, and anguish, along with punitive fines. No specific dollar figure has been publicly reported. Smith has requested a jury trial.²⁴ An amended complaint was filed on April 17, 2026, a case management order was issued on June 1, 2026, and a trial setting order followed on June 6, 2026.¹

Scripps’ Response

NewsChannel 5 issued a public statement on January 2, 2026. Senior Director of External Communications Becca McCarter said, “We strongly disagree with the characterizations brought by Bree Smith’s legal team and plan to aggressively defend ourselves.” The station said it had been “actively working with Bree to continue her tenure” before she left and that concerns she raised were “investigated thoroughly.” McCarter called the lawsuit “without merit” and said the facts would show the station “took appropriate action.”⁷

What Smith Has Done Since Leaving

After her resignation, Smith testified before the Tennessee House Criminal Justice Subcommittee in support of legislation targeting nonconsensual deepfake imagery. The Preventing Deepfake Images Act, which creates civil and criminal penalties for disclosing intimate digital depictions without consent, passed the Tennessee Senate on April 15, 2025, and the House on April 21, 2025. Smith was described as the bill’s “main driver.”⁸⁹ On January 5, 2026, Nashville competitor WSMV (Channel 4) announced Smith had joined its First Alert Weather team.¹⁰

1
CourtListener. Friedrichs v. Scripps Media, Inc.
2
The Tennessean. Bree Smith NewsChannel 5 Henry Rothenberg Lawsuit
3
HCAMag. Nashville Meteorologist Claims Scripps Ran Sham Probe, Brushed Off Deepfakes
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The Independent. Bree Smith NewsChannel 5 Henry Rothenberg Lawsuit
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Nashville Banner. Federal Lawsuit Bree Smith NewsChannel 5
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Yahoo News. Bree Smith Sues NewsChannel 5
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NewsChannel 5. NewsChannel 5 Responds to Lawsuit Filed by Former Meteorologist Bree Smith
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WSMV. TN Legislature Passes Preventing Deepfake Images Act Following Testimony by Nashville Meteorologist
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The Tennessean. Bree Smith Inspired Bill Battling Online Deep Fakes Passed in Legislature
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WSMV. Longtime TV Meteorologist Bree Smith Joins WSMV4 First Alert Weather Team