Vic Vela, former host of Colorado Public Radio’s Back from Broken, has settled his discrimination claim against his longtime employer. Vela, who filed the claim in March, was terminated in January after nine years at the station.
In his claim, he alleged that CPR management belittled his mental health concerns and accused him of using his addiction to manipulate superiors.
Vela began his career as a sports anchor for an NBC affiliate in Texas and worked as an investigative crime reporter for various newspapers. Vela also covered government and politics in Colorado as a member of the Colorado Capitol Press Corps for five years.
He struggled with addiction to powder and crack cocaine for 15 years and has been in recovery since 2015.
The settlement, first reported by the Colorado Sun, allows Vela to produce future podcast episodes of Back from Broken. While the terms of the settlement were not disclosed, both parties confirmed the resolution of the matter.
Vela had previously stated that CPR management denied him workplace accommodations needed to maintain his sobriety. However, CPR President and CEO Stewart Vanderwilt refuted these claims, asserting that Vela never requested any accommodations and was terminated due to repeated hostile behavior, not because of his disability or addiction history.
Vic Vela told the Denver Post, “What happened in the past, I’m gonna put that aside and focus on the positive. I’m continuing to work on a podcast that has moved a lot of people and been meaningful to a lot of people who struggle with drugs and alcohol. I’m really grateful to CPR for being on the same page.”
