Thelawsuit seeks punitive damages and statesthe network's CEO Scott "sandbagged" him with a July 1, 2020, statement saying a former employee had accused Henry of sexual misconduct a week earlier and he was being fired after the findings of an externalinvestigation. The Wednesday lawsuit by Henrysays Scott'sstatement lent"credence tothe false allegations because she was trying to save her own career andburnish her image as a tough, no nonsense female executive who cleaned up Fox News. Heres what that might look like. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. Fox News was 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, the suit states. The lawsuit also includes text messages from Henry to Eckhart, which the suit states were shared with Fox News. Unfortunately, it is actually worse.. The lawsuit alleged that Areu was also subjected to inappropriate sexual harassment and retaliation by on-air Fox News personalities Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, and Howard Kurtz, as well as Fox News contributor Gianno Caldwell. The lawsuit alleges Hannity threw $100 on the desk during a taping of his show on March 8, 2018, and called out to the room demanding someone take Areu on a date and for drinks. According to the lawsuit, the messages in Areus possession from Henry include a closeup photograph of a womans vagina being clamped closed by four clothespins; a photograph of an individual wearing a mask that has a large penis in lieu of a nose; a photograph of a vibrator faux smoking a cigarette; a photograph with a woman with her mouth open and tongue extended, with a mans hands pulling her towards his midsection, captioned In case you wondering the male g-spot is located at the back of a womans throat; a photograph of a womans rear end and vagina modified to include the features of a bunny rabbit (this was sent for Easter); a woman wearing nothing but three masks, in which her entire body is exposed other than her breasts and vagina; [and] a photograph of a rubber glove where each finger appears to be a dildo and/or ribbed like a condom., Henry also sent Areu, the complaint alleged, a video of a woman running across the room and jumping towards a cameraher skirt lifts up and the video ends with a closeup of her vagina; and a video entitled Fastest Interview candidate selected in 3 seconds. In the video, someone purportedly interviewing for a position exposes her vagina, after which the interviewer indicates that she got the job., The complaint continued: Immediately after Mr. Henry sent Ms. Areu this video, he texted her, Are you avail for anchor interview. Mr. Henry knew that Ms. Areu was looking for full time work at Fox News, and was telling her, in no uncertain terms, that he would assist her career if she had sex with him.. I chose to file this complaint because no woman should have to suffer the conduct to which I was subjected, much less the egregious conduct suffered by Ms. Eckhart., In a statement, Fox News said: Based on the findings of a comprehensive independent investigation conducted by an outside law firm, including interviews with numerous eyewitnesses, we have determined that all of Cathy Areus claims against FOX News, including its management as well as its hosts Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity & Howard Kurtz and its contributor Gianno Caldwell, are false, patently frivolous and utterly devoid of any merit. Based on the findings of a comprehensive independent investigation conducted by an outside law firm, including interviews with numerous eyewitnesses, we have determined that all of Cathy Areus claims against FOX News, including its management as well as its hosts Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity & Howard Kurtz and its contributor Gianno Caldwell, are false, patently frivolous and utterly devoid of any merit, Fox News said in a statement. Areu, who was a regular guest on The Sean Hannity Show and Tucker Carlson Tonight until 2018, also accused host Sean Hannity of conducting a mock dating auction with her as the prize. The company has "worked tirelessly" under Scott'sleadership "to transform the company culture, implementing annual, mandatory in-person harassment prevention training, creating an entirely new reporting structure, more than tripling the size of our HR footprint, conducting quarterly company meetings and mentoring events, as well as executing a zero tolerance policy regarding workplace misconduct for which we engage outside independent firms to handle investigations," the statement said. Rather, Mr. Henrys employment was terminated because Fox News realized that it was on the precipice of a public relations nightmare and wanted to get out ahead of this suit and be able to claim that it had done the right thing. FormerFox News anchorGretchen Carlson, one of thewomen who came forward with allegations against Ailes, got a reported $20 million settlement in 2016 after she sued the network, claiming Ailes demoted then fired her when she rejected his sexual advances. Following his termination, Henry's attorney Catherine Foti said, "Ed Henry denies the allegations referenced in the Fox announcement and is confident that he will be vindicated after a full hearing in an appropriate forum.. Later that day, he ordered her to perform oral sex on him in a guest office at Fox News headquarters in New York. Inreality, however, Ms. Scott had long been an instrument to cover upthe existence of sexual misconduct at Fox News,"adding she "has repeatedly covered up sexual misconduct by seniorFox News management. More: Fox News fined $1 million in New York City settlement of sexual harassment allegations Henry's lawsuit against Fox News came a day after the New York City Commission on Human Rights fined Fox News $1 million in a settlement stemming from a sexual harassment investigation, the highest civil penalty in the commission's history. In 2016, Fox News then-CEO, Roger Ailes, was accused by multiple women of sexual harassment and creating a toxic culture for women. The network released a memo on July 1 stating that Henry had been fired after an investigation into a complaint about willful sexual misconduct in the workplace., In a statement Fox News said Areu and Eckhart can pursue claims against Henry directly with him, as FOX News already took swift action as soon as it learned of Ms. Eckharts claims on June 25 and Mr. Henry is no longer employed by the network.. You dont own me, Eckhart replied. Henry's lawsuit against Fox News came a day after the New York City Commission on Human Rights fined Fox News $1 million in a settlement stemming from a (AP Photo), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. A federal lawsuit filed Monday alleges ex-Fox News host Ed Henry raped a woman he had groomed and coerced into having a sexual relationship when she did The lawsuit and new allegations come nearly four years after then-Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes was ousted from the network after an external investigation due to sexual harassment claims in July 2016. Earlier, in September 2015, the lawsuit says, Eckhart says Henry forced her to perform oral sex in a guest office on the 17th floor of the Fox News building. Over time, the lawsuit alleged, Henrys treatment of Eckhart became increasingly violent. Ms. We take all claims of harassment, misconduct and retaliation seriously, promptly investigating them and taking immediate action as needed in this case, the appropriate action based on our investigation is to defend vigorously against these baseless allegations. She declined but invited him to dinner with her and a friend in town, which he declined. The two lawyers also represent numerous accusers of convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein who have sued him in civil court for damages. Foxconducted a full and independent investigation of the claims against Jay Wallace he was cleared of any wrongdoing and the allegations are false.. "Beyond that, we cannot comment on pending litigation.". Her allegations werent made public when Henry was fired. She had been a relatively regular face on Hannitys show, but was hardly ever invited back to appear after that date, according to the lawsuit. Ms. Areu awkwardly sidestepped Mr. Carlsons advances and declined to spend the night at his hotel. Ultimately, we are confident that a jury will hold Fox News responsible for the acts of its employees, as well as its own conduct in responding to these allegations., The attorney for Areu and Eckhart continued: Fox News claimsas it almost always doesthat an independent investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing. Kurtz allegedly invited Areu to his hotel room on July 9, 2019, while he was in New York City. According to the complaint, Henry also sent numerous texts suggesting that she have sex with him. Eventually, after one meeting at a hotel, ostensibly to discuss her career prospects, Eckhart recalled relenting to Henrys advances, fearing that her career would be over if she refused Mr. Henry.. Mr. Kurtz, who plainly wanted to see Ms. Areu only if she were alone and at his hotel (i.e., for sexual reasons) declined, the complaint claimed. The suit also alleges harassment by some of Fox News best known anchors, including Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Howard Kurtz, along with a contributor, Gianno Caldwell. Following the news, Carlson went on a planned vacation., This is a BETA experience. Study suggests US freshwater fish highly contaminated with forever Five ways a debt limit crisis could derail the US economy, How the war in Ukraine could end sooner than expected, What is ChatGPT? The lawyersrepresenting the accusers,Douglas H. Wigdor and Michael J. Willemin, declined to comment to USA TODAY on whether the crimes alleged in the lawsuit are being investigated by law enforcement. When Areu "sidestepped Mr. Carlson's advances and declined to spend the night at his hotel," the host "promptly retaliated against Ms. Areu, who was featured on his show only three times in 2019 and has not appeared once in 2020.". Eckharts lawyers also provided in the complaint a series of text messages in which Henry referred to their relationship in graphic terms. In December 2018, after appearing on his show, the complaint alleges that Carlson told Areu "that he would be alone in New York City that night, and specifically said that he would be staying alone in his hotel room without any wife or kids. Mrs. Cox said she doubts he would have had enough life experiences at that age to write the story in such a short time. The lawsuit, some of it so graphic that it includesa "trigger warning" notice, was filedin federal civil court in the Southern District of New York. Fox News Mediapraised Scott's performanceon corporate culture issues in a separate statement. The lawsuit on behalf of John and Joan Cox was filed this week in federal court in New York City. As we stated one year ago, FoxNews Media conducted a thorough independent investigation into Ed Henry immediately after we were made aware of a serious misconduct claim against him by a former employee," the statement read. The Time's Up Legal Defense Fund is supporting a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against Fox News and several of its anchors, including Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity. The filing comes ahead of the September 10 AI technology sends schools scrambling to preserve learning, The best place to hide during a nuclear blast. The lawsuit names as defendants Paramount Pictures, director and co- producer Mike Nichols, screenplay author Jeffrey Abrams and others. Months later, Eckhart claimed, Henry forced her to perform disturbing sexual acts on him. When he sent the video and the text, Henry was aware Areu was looking for full-time work at Fox News, according to the lawsuit. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. Henry rejected the allegations, filing for dismissal of the suit by calling it "malicious and defamatory," and Fox denied anywrongdoing, saying it took "swift action" in lettingHenry go shortly after learning of the matter. This is not one of those cases," the statement said. These defamation claims come a day afterHenry filed a lawsuitin the U.S. District Court in Newark, New Jersey, againstFox News and its CEO. Unfortunately, it is actually worse, the suit says. The plaintiffs are seeking a jury trial and damages. Being targeted again by Douglas Wigdors law firm, well known for its pursuit of sexual misconduct cases, is an uncomfortable rerun for Fox. In a statement, Areu said: "Like Ms. Eckhart, I too was fearful to come forward. AP One former Fox News staffer and one frequent on-air guest at (AP) _ A couple filed a $100 million lawsuit claiming the movie According to the lawsuit, Henry laughed as he took the photographs, and Eckhart pleaded with Mr. Henry to stop, and to remove the handcuffs, and to delete the naked pictures he took of her without her consent. The photographs, the lawsuit suggested, were an intimidation tactic to keep Eckhart silent. Evansville Couple Claims Regarding Henry is Their Story October 8, 1993 EVANSVILLE, Ind. ", More:Fox News fined $1 million in New York City settlement of sexual harassment allegations, Cable news race: Fox holds onto top spot in ratings after post-election dip. She also alleges that in 2017, he handcuffed her as part of "violent, painful rape" in a Manhattan hotel room. Fox News said Areus allegations against others at Fox are false. Two women filed a lawsuit against Fox News that named network stars Hannity, Carlson and Ed Henry. In the complaint, filed Monday in New York federal court, former Fox News producer Jennifer Eckhart alleged that Henrythe long-time Fox reporter and host of Americas Newsroom who was fired earlier this month for what the network called willful sexual misconductraped and assaulted her and performed sadistic acts on her without her consent that left her injured, bruised and battered with bloody wrists., What this lawsuit reveals is that todays Fox News is the same old Fox News, said attorney Douglas Wigdor in announcing the lawsuits filing. Indeed, right after he sent the video, he wrote, I had no idea you were here [in Florida]. 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