Fox News’ parent company spent $20 million on Tuesday to settle a lawsuit brought by former anchor Gretchen Carlson, whose allegations of sexual harassment toppled the network’s powerful chairman, Roger Ailes, and engulfed the company in crisis.
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Fox News’ Howard Kurtz cites “a source familiar with the process” who says “Van Susteren asked to renegotiate her contract after Roger Ailes resigned…when those negotiations deadlocked, Van Susteren chose to invoke the departure option, the sources said”.
The Gretchen Carlson case centered on a lawsuit filed against 21st Century Fox run by Rupert Murdoch and his two sons, James and Lachlan, and not against Roger Ailes.
The company also praised Carlson’s work while she worked for the company. Ailes has strongly denied the allegations.
So while Ailes maintains he has behaved within the law, and no court has made a finding, I think we can give Carlson’s allegations more than average weight in depicting an atmosphere at Fox.
Sources tell Vanity Fair that two other women have reached similar settlements with 21st Century Fox. She had spoken on Ailes’ behalf in an interview with The Daily Beast in the immediate aftermath of Carlson’s lawsuit, saying she had known nothing of the alleged behaviour, but later clarified those remarks, saying she didn’t mean to defend or condemn her former boss.
She described Carlson, who left “Fox & Friends” in 2013 to host “The Real Story with Gretchen Carlson”, as “a disgruntled employee” who apparently got angry after her show was canceled.
NY magazine reported in July that Kelly had told investigators hired by Fox that Ailes “made unwanted sexual advances toward her” about 10 years ago.
“All depends on the facts of those claims but no doubt this large settlement will attract others to makes claims and pursue them”, Delikat said. Why the apology? And how was Carlson able to extract $20 million from Fox in mere weeks? “I’m ready to move on to the next chapter of my life, in which I will redouble my efforts to empower women in the workplace”, she said in a statement. We are proud that she was part of the Fox News team. She also thanked the people who supported her #StandWithGretchen Twitter campaign.
Also Tuesday, Fox News announced the surprise departure of Greta Van Susteren from a nighttime lineup that has been one of the most successful and stable in cable news.
When Gretchen Carlson claimed that Roger Ailes, the CEO of Fox News, sexually harassed the former Miss America, nobody saw this coming.
Takeaway: As Fox News can tell other employers now, turning a blind eye to such behavior can cost you-$20 Mil in this case.
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“Any settlement is going to take into account how much the (plaintiff) was earning, as well as the notoriety of the person being accused”, said Wigdor, who is not involved in the case.
