This morning the Weather Channel Companies named a new general counsel. He’s George Callard who joined the company last year as SVP of legal and business affairs. Callard will lead the company’s legal team just as the channel fights a discrimination suit filed by a former anchor/reporter. Weather Channel, which is partly owned by Comcast’s NBCUniversal, has been named in a suit filed by Nicole Mitchell, whose contract was not renewed in 2010. She claims new management, including those from NBC News, didn’t support her taking time off to serve in the Air Force Reserves.

Mitchell claims that is a violation of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination or retaliation against service members because of their military obligations.

Fox News Channel, which delights in taking on competitors even when a legitimate news story is at hand, discussed the suit in a segment Tuesday.