Former meteorologist Christopher Nance filed a racial and religious discrimination and wrongful termination lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday against his previous employer, KNBC-TV. The suit claims the station fostered a “racially hostile environment” that resulted in his termination.

Mr. Nance was a 17-year employee with KNBC-TV when he was dismissed from the station in December 2002. At the time, Mr. Nance told reporters that he was fired due to unfounded allegations of sexual harassment. In the lawsuit, Mr. Nance, who is black, claims, among other charges, that he was forced to work an early-morning “Negro Shift” and that he was ridiculed for reading the Bible at work.

According to the filing, “Plaintiff Nance, after working for Defendants for many years and successfully becoming the number one morning weather program, came to realize he was being held up to ridicule and false accusations due to his skin race and religious practices.”

In response to the lawsuit, NBC released the following statement: “Mr. Nance’s lawsuit is completely without merit. NBC and KNBC are deeply committed to maintaining a fair, diverse, and harassment-free work environment. The fact that Mr. Nance has also sued KNBC General Manager Paula Madison, who has spent her life upholding these important principles, demonstrates the frivolous nature of the lawsuit. We fully expect to prevail in the litigation.”

Mr. Nance is seeking an unspecified amount of compensation, including lost wages and punitive damages.