Fox News Forgets Its Own Sexual Harassment Problem and Again Attacks Victims
(UPDATED with Fox News & Ed Henry attorney statements on lawsuit) Tucker Carlson is returning to Fob News Channel tonight after a short holiday, just forth with the cabler newser itself, Sean Hannity and the now fired Ed Henry, the top rated host too finds himself in the center of a whole new legal spotlight of alleged misconduct at the now Suzanne Scott and Jay Wallace-run outlet.
"Information technology is widely documented in the public record that Play a joke on News has non only cultivated and fostered sexual harassment and misconduct, but has consistently accepted and rewarded it," says a sexual practice trafficking, sexual harassment, gender discrimination and retaliation lawsuit from onetime Pull a fast one on Business Network associate producer Jennifer Eckhart and erstwhile FNC guest Cathy Areu filed today against the Rupert Murdoch-endemic outlet, its sometime reporter and some of its biggest and loudest primetime hosts.
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"Nevertheless, Fox News would have the public believe that information technology is a unlike identify from the Fox News that was run by former disgraced Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes," the jury trial action adds, noting the many accusations against the axed and now deceased former Mike Douglas Testify producer.
"Unfortunately, information technology is actually worse," the extremely detailed suit filed in federal court in New York asserts (READ IT HERE).
"As described in detail herein, Play a trick on News continues to protect and reward perpetrators of sexual harassment and refuses to take accountability for putting such persons in positions of ability from which they can field of study women to sexual misconduct, sexual assault and, in the case of Ms. Eckhart, rape," the injunction and wide-spread damages seeking suit states. "Some of the names in leadership may take changed since Roger Ailes' regime, only Play a joke on News' institutional apathy towards sexual misconduct has not."
"Based on the findings of a comprehensive independent investigation conducted by an exterior police firm, including interviews with numerous eyewitnesses, nosotros take determined that all of Cathy Areu'south claims against FOX News, including its direction likewise as its hosts Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity & Howard Kurtz and its correspondent Gianno Caldwell, are false, patently frivolous and utterly devoid of any merit," said a Fox News spokesperson on Monday of the lawsuit, which too names MediaBuzz host Kurtz as a defendant. "
"We take all claims of harassment, misconduct and retaliation seriously, promptly investigating them and taking immediate action as needed — in this case, the advisable action based on our investigation is to defend vigorously against these baseless allegations," the statement continues. "Ms. Areu and Jennifer Eckhart can pursue their claims against Ed Henry directly with him, as Fox News already took swift action as shortly as it learned of Ms. Eckhart'south claims on June 25 and Mr. Henry is no longer employed by the network."
"There were not sexual harassment claims against Ed Henry at Fox News prior to Jennifer Eckhart's claim on June 25, 2020," FNC also added.
Henry's attorney, Catherine Foti, issued a statement on behalf of her client.
"The Me Besides motion has helped to bring to light a number of injustices in our society, and everyone that has suffered deserves to be heard," the statement said. "This is not one of those cases. The prove in this case will demonstrate that Ms. Eckhart initiated and completely encouraged a consensual human relationship. Ed Henry looks forward to presenting actual facts and prove, which will contradict the fictional accounts contained in the complaint. That testify includes graphic photos and other aggressively suggestive communications that Ms. Eckhart sent to Mr. Henry."
While only Henry is named in the sex activity trafficking merits, the complaint paints a damning portrait of the way things are still supposedly done at FNC.
America's Newsroom anchor Henry was fired by FNC contumely on July 1 after reports of "willful sexual misconduct in the workplace years agone" were supposedly brought to their attention on June 25 by "a old employee'south chaser." That quondam employee in question was Jennifer Eckhart.
Monday'southward lawsuit from lawyers Douglas Wigdor and Michael J. Willemin calls the move to axe Henry and claim the success of an independent investigation was FNC "trying to avoid taking accountability for what actually happened; namely, that one of its most prominent on-air personalities — with a history of multiple sexual harassment complaints – sexually assaulted and raped Ms. Eckhart."
"Moreover, the investigator did non even speak with either of our clients, even though both Ms. Eckhart and Ms. Areu offered to meet with him under reasonable conditions," the Wigdor LLP attorneys declared in a argument after the adapt was field today. "We call on Fox News to work with our clients to retain a truly contained investigator who is transparent. The results of any such investigation should be fabricated public for the world to see."
"In reality, Fox News knew that Mr. Henry had engaged in sexual misconduct as far back as early 2017," Monday'south complaint propounds. "At that time, when Play tricks News was conducting a company-wide investigation into issues of sexual harassment, multiple women came forward to complain that Mr. Henry had engaged in sexually inappropriate comport towards them," it further says, following extremely explicit sections on the sexual assaults and rape that Henry is alleged to accept attacked Eckhart with repeatedly. "Upon data and belief, this was known to Fox News' Executive Vice President of Human Resource, Kevin Lord, also every bit Fox News President and Executive Editor, Jay Wallace, and Trick Business organisation Network President, Lauren Petterson."
A few months after first going to HR over the Henry attacks, Eckhart, on June 12 this year, had her job at the outlet "terminated effective June 26, 2020, after more seven years of employment," claims today's complaint – that turned out to exist the mean solar day later her lawyers formally notified FNC of the Henry attacks,
Elsewhere in the accommodate, it is detailed how Carlson supposedly propositioned the total time job seeking Areu in Dec 2018 around the fourth dimension of the FNC Christmas party. "Mr. Carlson, hardly making any endeavor to hibernate his intentions, began telling Ms. Areu that he would be alone in New York City that nighttime, and specifically said that he would be staying alone in his hotel room without whatsoever wife or kids," the 39-folio document says, noting Areu "awkwardly sidestepped Mr. Carlson'southward advances and declined to spend the night at his hotel" that evening.
Which basically ended her long run on Tucker Carlson This night the suit states.
"Co-ordinate to Mr. Carlson's producer, information technology is Mr. Carlson himself who consistently rejects proposals to accept Ms. Areu on his evidence, nonetheless the fact that her segments were, or were among, his about popular," the filing notes."Indeed, every bit a decades-tenured cameraman explained to Ms. Areu, information technology is well known that the way for women to get ahead at Trick News is to sleep with the male anchors and executives," it adds in another section, as alleged incidents of varying nature with Hannity, Kurtz and Henry are besides disclosed.
Fob News has been looking to move pass an era of sexual impropriety and harassment allegations behind it after founder and CEO Roger Ailes resign in 2016 amid multiple allegations of sexual harassment. Amongst other resignations, firings and exits in the years since, top-rated host Bill O'Reilly was forced out in 2017 after reports of numerous sexual harassment settlements. Coming on the heels of Henry'southward ouster, this new lawsuit presents a very serious pothole at the very to the lowest degree on FNC'south path to less damning days.
Furthermore, Carlson saw ane of his top writers exposed on July 11 for ofttimes posting racist, sexist and homophobic comments on a legal message board. Tucker Carlson This night'southward Blake Neff resigned that day, just while FNC execs condemned the author's vile deportment, Carlson himself seemed to be more than concerned with Neff than his bigotry.
"Starting time, what Neff wrote anonymously was incorrect," Carlson told his viewers near the cease of his July 14 show before heading off on suddenly revealed trout fishing vacation. "We should also point out to the ghouls that are beating their chest in triumph at the destruction of a fellow that self-righteousness also has its costs," he added, with an unspoken swipe at his former employers CNN, who outed Neff in their reporting.
"Nosotros are all human, when we pretend we are holy, we are lying," the ratings tape breaking host connected with disobedience instead of the anticipated remorse. "When we pose as blameless in club to injure other people, we are committing the gravest sin of all and nosotros volition be punished for it. No question."
Source: https://deadline.com/2020/07/ed-henry-sexual-harassment-lawsuit-filed-fox-news-tucker-carlson-sean-hannity-1202989963/
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