Earlier this week, news broke that news director Michael Fabac had abruptly departed KXAN after five years with the Austin NBC-affiliate. Now, Austin360 reports that the station is facing a pair of lawsuits: one for racial discrimination and one for libel.

The discrimination suit was brought by meteorologist Rhonda Lee (right), who says she was let go last August after being “repeatedly subjected to crude and insensitive remarks about her race.”

The libel suit was filed by a producer of the Austin Women’s Expo over a KXAN investigative report that alleged that the expo bilked sponsors out of promised advertising opportunities.

KXAN general manager Eric Lassberg has not responded to TVSpy’s requests for comment.

Lee, who is now working at KTBS in Shreveport, LA, spent a little over a year at KXAN.

Here’s KXAN’s report on the Women’s Expo…

[Austin360]