The World’s former managing editor filed a sex discrimination suit  Wednesday against the newspaper and its parent company.

Kathy Erickson is seeking $500,000 in damages plus lost income and attorney fees in Coos County Circuit Court, according to a press released issued by Coos Bay attorneys Roger and Adam Gould.

The defendants are Southwest Oregon Publishing Co., which publishes The World, and its parent company, Lee Enterprises Inc. Erickson and former Publisher Janet Geary left the company in April, when Lee combined the publisher and editor positions.

In the press release, Erickson’s attorneys claim their client was passed over for the new job because she was a woman. Lee Enterprises instead appointed Clark Walworth, who was editor of Lee’s Casper Star-Tribune in Wyoming.

Erickson’s attorneys maintain she was more qualified than Walworth. The release pointed to Erickson’s 10 years as The World’s managing editor, as well as 15 years as an owner/publisher/editor at a weekly newspaper in Scappoose.

When contacted Wednesday, Erickson said she had no comment on the lawsuit.

Lee Enterprise’s corporate attorney Sheri Curran said she has not seen the filing yet.

“We are disappointed that Ms. Erickson has attempted to make this decision about gender,” Curran said. “We do not make decisions based on gender, and the decision to eliminate Ms. Erickson’s position is no exception. While Ms. Erickson may disagree with the business decisions surrounding the reorganization of the staff at The World, the reasons for the changes made are legitimate, completely business-related, and again have nothing to do with gender.”