Fox News hit by new claims of sexual misconduct
by stars in lawsuit
Ex-correspondent Ed Henry accused of rape and sexual
assault
Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity face sexual harassment
claim
Ed
Pilkington in New York
@edpilkington
Published
onTue 21 Jul 2020 00.13 BST
Two women
have come forward with explosive new allegations of sexual misconduct at Fox
News, claiming in a lawsuit that the former chief national correspondent of the
cable channel, Ed Henry, subjected one of them to rape and sexual assault.
The federal
lawsuit, lodged on Monday in the southern district of New York, accuses
management at Fox News of failing to act over allegations of sexual impropriety
against Henry dating back to as early as 2017. The channel fired its co-anchor
earlier this month after details of the complaint surfaced.
The suit
also contains bombshell allegations raised by a second woman, a former Fox News
employee, Cathy Areu, who says she was sexually harassed by a slew of top
personalities on the channel. They include the star anchor Sean Hannity,
controversial host Tucker Carlson and media commentator Howard Kurtz.
The most
serious allegations in the lawsuit relate to former Fox News employee Jennifer
Eckhart. The suit accuses Henry of manipulating and grooming Eckhart when she
was 24, asking her to be his “sex slave” and “little whore” and threatening her
with retaliation if she did not comply.
The suit
alleges that Henry sexually assaulted her on Fox News property and raped her
while she was helpless and restrained in metal handcuffs at a hotel used by the
channel to lodge visiting employees.
In its
statement, Fox News said that Eckhart could pursue her claims directly with
Henry “as Fox News already took swift action … and Mr Henry is no longer
employed by the network”.
Catherine
Foti, Henry’s lawyer, said in a statement that “evidence in this case will
demonstrate that Ms Eckhart initiated and completely encouraged a consensual
relationship”. She said that Henry looked forward to presenting his own
evidence including “graphic photos”.
Eckhart
said that she hoped her decision to file suit “will result in positive change
for women at Fox, and for all victims in the workplace”.
The
complaint, drawn up by the prominent anti-discrimination lawyers Douglas Wigdor
and Michael Willemin, also states that in March 2018 Hannity humiliated Areu,
who was a regular guest on his show, while she was on set and in front of the
entire studio crew.
He
allegedly threw $100 in cash on his desk on set and began exhorting men in the
crew to take Areu out on a date to Del Friscos. “Who wants to take her on a
date?” Hannity yelled, to her mortification, the lawsuit says.
The suit
reproduces a photograph of a stash of cash and a cigarette on a studio desk
which it says was the money thrown down by Hannity as part of his misogynistic
ruse.
Areu also
alleges in the lawsuit that in December 2018 Carlson, at the end of his Tucker
Carlson Tonight show on which she had appeared, made suggestive comments to
her, saying he would be staying alone in his hotel room without any wife or
kids.
“Without
question, Mr Carlson was probing to see whether Ms Areu was interested in a
sexual relationship,” the lawsuit contends, accusing the host of retaliating
against the plaintiff when she declined his advances.
A separate
allegation of sexual harassment is raised by Areu against Kurtz from July 2019.
In a
statement released on Monday, Fox News said that it had conducted a
“comprehensive independent investigation” by an outside law firm into Areu’s
claims against Carlson, Hannity and Kurtz and found them to be “false, patently
frivolous and utterly devoid of any merit”.
Fox News
has been bedevilled by allegations of sexual harassment against senior male
figures for years and has been repeatedly accused of operating a work culture
that tolerates sexual misconduct. The late Roger Ailes was forced to resign
from the channel that he created in 2016 after 23 women accused him of sexual
harassment.
The lawsuit
challenges the line put forward by Fox News that it has cleaned up its act
since Ailes left. It says: “Fox News would have the public believe that it is a
different place from the Fox News that was run by former disgraced Chairman and
CEO Roger Ailes. Unfortunately, it is actually worse.”
.jpg)
.jpg)
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário