Fort Myers Broadcasting Company, which owns WINK News, isn’t letting things slide with its former meteorologist, Matt Devitt.
On Wednesday, they filed a lawsuit accusing Devitt of breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty. The complaint alleges Devitt not only violated the station’s non-compete agreement but also gambled during work hours.
Devitt, a familiar face in Southwest Florida weather, lost his job on January 8. The lawsuit goes after both Devitt and his company Weatherview (previously Matt Devitt Weather) and targets their online activity. Fort Myers Broadcasting wants the court to stop Devitt from working as a competing forecaster online and to remove any social media posts described as “false, misleading, and/or defamatory.”
According to the filing, the company is seeking over $100,000 in damages.
After his termination, Devitt’s Facebook post drew attention. The suit claims what he wrote wasn’t just untrue; it was aimed at hurting Fort Myers Broadcasting and WINK’s reputation. The company points to a wave of public backlash that followed, including death threats directed at its staff.
It gets messier. The suit alleges Devitt and his business, directly or indirectly, ran a competing weather operation, making defamatory statements and breaking his contract. Fort Myers Broadcasting argues Devitt’s actions are likely to damage their standing in the local community, which they depend on.
They also accuse Devitt of having a “gambling problem” while he worked for WINK. The suit details trips to multiple casinos and an illegal gambling arcade, claiming he frequently gambled during work breaks. A Facebook message allegedly recounted a casino employee saying Devitt “does it almost every night on his break.”
There’s more. According to the complaint, Devitt violated contract terms when he testified as an expert witness in court cases and created Matt Devitt Weather long before his termination. While Devitt publicly said his firing was unexpected, a station official stated the decision took months of consideration.
