Aracaju
Fired between Christmas and New Year’s Eve 2023, reporter Arnaldo Duran, 67, went to court against Record. The journalist says that he was the target of ableism by Edir Macedo’s broadcaster and asks that he be reinstated as an employee.
If his return to television is not possible, Duran asks that the broadcaster that was his former employer be condemned for moral damages. In total, the journalist is asking for around R$3 million.
O F5 had access to the process, which was filed last Monday (29) at the 89th Labor Court of São Paulo. In this case, Duran’s lawyers argue that the broadcaster exploited his rare disease in reports and entertainment programs.
In 2016, Arnaldo Duran was diagnosed with spinocerebellar ataxia type 3, a degenerative disease of the nervous system, also called Machado-Joseph syndrome or “stumbling disease”. Symptoms include a lack of coordination of voluntary muscle movements and loss of balance.
In interviews, at the time he discovered the health problem, the journalist stated that he almost lost his ability to speak due to the disease, but that he recovered it with treatment and prayers. The testimony was given during participation in attractions produced by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God.
Duran asks for R$400,000 in moral damages alone. The rest of the amount is related to labor issues, such as his dismissal, considered irregular by his lawyers, as he was in the middle of treatment.
The action asks Record to pay for or provide training to readjust the journalist to the job market, considering the mobility problems caused by his problem and his advanced age. For the journalist’s defense, Record committed ableism by terminating him.
One element used by lawyers to prove this point is that Duran has never appeared on air since he was diagnosed with the disease. “By hiding the use of orthopedic equipment from the reporter, the defendant (Record) practices the prejudice of ableism, which is the presumption that people with disabilities have more difficulty (or are incapable) of performing the same jobs as people without disabilities” , says the defense.
The case does not yet have a trial date. The court scheduled a conciliation hearing for June 19 so that a possible agreement can be negotiated.
Wanted by F5, Arnaldo Duran’s lawyers confirmed the action, but did not provide further details. The journalist did not respond to contact attempts made by the F5. Record was also contacted, but did not respond until the last update of this text.
A veteran, Arnaldo Duran has a vast career on television. The reporter had stints at Globo and the now-defunct Rede Manchete (1983-1999). Duran also worked at SBT, where he was part of the Aqui Agora team in the 1990s.
