Who is Kate Merrill’s husband? All about family amid former WBZ anchor’s discrimination lawsuit

Former WBZ anchor Kate Merrill has sued the TV station for racial and gender discrimination. Citing legal documents, Boston.com reported that Merrill filed her lawsuit on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, naming the station, its parent companies CBS and Paramount, and former colleagues.

The lawsuit comes a year after she abruptly left WBZ after working for over two decades. At the time, she did not elaborate on her reason.

Per the filing, back in 2024, Kate Merrill had been accused of "microaggressions and unconscious bias" against two newly (then) hired Black colleagues, including Jason Mikell. Merrill claimed she was tasked to support Mikell by her superior (and Mikell himself) as he navigated the new role.

Following an internal investigation, the TV station demoted Merrill from working weekday morning shows to weekend nights in May 2024. The former anchor claimed her demotion was announced publicly, thus "humiliating" her. She alleged similar announcements for male anchors were never "broadly announced." Calling it "career ending," Kate Merrill noted she had to submit a "constructive discharge resignation" the same month. Further, due to a non-competitive provision in her contract, Kate claimed she couldn't work in the field until this June.

On a personal front, Kate Merrill has been married to former professional ice hockey player Michael Dunham. The pair shares two daughters, Addison and Kayden.

Kate Merrill and Michael Dunham celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary this May

Born in June 1972, Michael Dunham hails from Johnson City, New York. He attended the Canterbury School in New Milford, Connecticut. While there, he was the All-New England 1st Team Goalie. He also played hockey at the collegiate level while he attended the University of Maine. Notably, during his final season (1992-1993), Dunham's team won the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Kate Merrill (@katemerrill1)

According to his profile on the National Hockey League's website, the New Jersey Devils drafted him into the NFL in 1990. Throughout his career he played goaltender for the Nashville Predators, New York Rangers, Atlanta Thrashers, and New York Islanders. Per the site, he boasts 141 wins out of 394 career games with 19 shoutouts. According to Fandom, Dunham helped the United States win silver at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.

In 2007, he became the goaltending coach for the Islanders, staying with the team for nine seasons. Since July 2017, Michael Dunham has been the goaltender development coach for the Boston Bruins.

According to the Boston Herald, in 2018, Dunham competed in the 108th Massachusetts Open at TGC at Sacconnesset, a professional golf competition.

Kate Merrill and Michael Dunham have been married since 2000. They share two daughters, Addison and Kayden. According to Merrill's Instagram, Addison graduated from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, this May. While there, she was on the swim team. Meanwhile, this June Kayden graduated from the Concord-Carlisle High School and was the cheerleading captain. She is currently studying at Fairfield University.

Kate Merrill is suing for $4 million, alleging she was discriminated against on the basis of her gender and race. CBS, Paramount, or WBZ has not publicly commented on the lawsuit.