Former NY1 reporter Adele Sammarco is suing the news station, alleging that an environment of sexual harassment ruined her career there. Her case was strengthened yesterday when a former colleague revealed her butt-related nickname. But: insiders have their doubts.

[Former news assistant Jeff Carey] testified that Sammarco was regularly referred to as "BBB" or "Big Butt Booty" by her male colleagues.

"These guys like the way Adele looks," he said.

It's hard to keep track of what to do in the modern politically correct workplace culture, but here's a quick and dirty guide: It's okay to like the way your colleague looks; it's not okay to call her "Big Butt Booty." (Unless she likes you too, which she doesn't, sorry dude).

A NY1 source tells us that the general feeling at the station is that Sammarco was let go for legitimate performance-related reasons, and this lawsuit is her attempt to gain leverage after the fact. Even if that's true, it's been a rough year for the staid news station's PR; they've seen anchor Dominic Carter fired and jailed for beating his wife, anchor Dean Meminger's dad injured in a fire that was originally (and falsely) thought to have been started by a crack pipe, and lovable reporter Roger Clark cruelly mocked by David Letterman. Let's make 2010 a year of calm, NY1.

[NYP. Let it be noted that Pat Kiernan did cover this lawsuit story on "In The Papers" this morning, nobly.]