Fox News has settled Gretchen Carlson’s sexual harassment lawsuit against its former CEO Roger Ailes. Van Susteren has defended Ailes on multiple occasions.
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Ailes, 76, was sued for alleged sexual harassment in July by Carlson, who claimed she was sacked for spurning his sexual advances and complaining about his conduct. Ailes kept guns in the office (a Glock and Smith & Wesson were discovered by 21st Century Fox after his ouster). “When Fox News did not commence any negotiations to renew her contract, Ms. Carlson became aware that her career with the network was likely over and conveniently began to pursue a lawsuit”.
Mr. Ailes has denied the charges, saying she was let go because of performance issues.
In a statement also released by the company, Carlson, a former Miss America and Stanford University graduate who joined Fox News in 2005, thanked women who rallied to her cause on social media and shared their stories of being sexually harassed in the workplace.
As for Carlson, she said she’s ready for the next chapter and will redouble her efforts to empower women in the workplace. She thanked “all the fearless women” who came forward to tell their own stories and others who supported her.
“21st Century Fox is pleased to announce that it has settled Gretchen Carlson’s lawsuit”. He is said to be informally advising Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Roger Ailes, the former Fox News chairman.
“Fox has not felt like home for me for a few years”, Van Susteren wrote in a Facebook post.
Longtime Fox News host Greta Van Susteren left the network after the settlement was announced. She developed a loyal audience and was a daily source of information for many Americans. The settlement comes just two months after Carlson sued Ailes for sexual harassment, a lawsuit that opened the floodgates for more former and current Fox News employees-including Megyn Kelly and Andrea Tantaros-to come forward with their stories of sexual harassment under Ailes’ reign.
Ailes helped co-found the network in 1996 and drove it to prominence with a steady diet of right-leaning news and commentary. “The clause had a time limitation, meaning I could not wait”, she added.
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In addition to cash, the settlement came with a public apology from Fox News, effectively validating her claims of harassment by Ailes.
