Tang and Fox v. Nexstar Heads to Jury Trial After Second Settlement Bid Set

A federal judge overseeing defamation and wrongful termination claims brought by two former WOOD-TV news directors against Nexstar Media Group has scheduled a second settlement conference for June 4, 2026, and a final pre-trial hearing for July 20, 2026, with a jury trial expected in fall 2026 ^[1]. The case was filed by Stanton Tang and Amy Fox, who allege they were fired by Nexstar following internal and external backlash over a memo one of them circulated regarding Pride Month coverage guidelines ^[1].

Tang and Fox's claims rest on allegations that Nexstar violated federal and state labor laws by terminating their employment in retaliation for protected conduct, and that the company made defamatory statements in connection with their departures ^[1]. In March 2026, a federal judge declined to dismiss the lawsuit, finding that the plaintiffs had pleaded sufficient facts to support both the defamation and wrongful termination theories and allow the case to proceed ^[1]. That ruling cleared the way for the current pre-trial schedule and elevated the likelihood of a full jury trial.

The case centers on Nexstar's Grand Rapids NBC affiliate, WOOD-TV, where Tang and Fox served as news directors before their terminations ^[1]. The dispute over the Pride Month memo drew public attention to internal editorial decision-making at a major broadcast group, and Nexstar's response to that attention, including any public statements about the departures, forms part of the defamation allegations ^[1]. Nexstar Media Group is one of the largest local television station operators in the United States, and employment disputes at its affiliates carry implications across the broadcast industry.

With a second settlement conference scheduled before the July pre-trial hearing, both parties retain a narrow window to resolve the matter before the litigation enters its most resource-intensive phase ^[1]. If the June 4 conference does not produce a resolution, the case is positioned to proceed to trial, where a jury would weigh the termination circumstances, any statements Nexstar made about the plaintiffs, and whether those actions violated applicable labor and defamation law ^[1]. No trial date has been formally set, but the fall 2026 timeframe is implied by the current scheduling order ^[1].