Julie Tremmel, fired from WJAR-TV in February after doing handstands for a report on “America’s Got Talent” coming to Rhode Island, has reached an out-of-court settlement in a suit challenging her dismissal, Tremmel announced on her Facebook page Tuesday.
WJAR Vice President and General Manager Vic Vetters could not be reached for comment, but Tremmel posted an image of a Nov. 7 letter on WJAR stationery with what appeared to be his signature that said the station and Tremmel “have resolved all issues stemming from her employment at the station. Ms. Tremmel is free to seek employment without restriction.
“The station wishes Ms. Tremel the best of luck going forward,” it concluded.
Tremmel’s post did not disclose any terms of the settlement, which she called “a positive resolution to the unexpected nightmare.”
She thanked her parents, her lawyer and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union for helping her with the case.
Tremmel had worked at stations in Springfield, Mass., and Albany, N. Y. before joining Channel 10 in late 2012. She sometimes used theatrical techniques in stories. A report on possible bear attacks, where she acted as if one were near, and threw her shoe at the camera, became an Internet sensation.
In her report on the America’s Got Talent show coming to Providence, she sought to communicate the enthusiastic atmosphere of the want-to-be contestants by walking on her hands.
The station fired her without public comment. At the time Fletcher Fischer, business agent and financial secretary for IBEW Local 1228, which represents broadcasting workers in New England, said the handstand was the reason. He said Tremmel had been bullied by station management.
You can take a look at the reports below and see the embarrasment it caused the station.
The one that started it all and went viral - The Bear Sighting:
The infamous "America's Got Talent" handstand report:
Reporter Julie Tremmel Settles with WJAR
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