Television news presenter Gretchen Carlson’s sexual harassment case against Fox News and its now deposed chief Roger Ailes has been settled for a reported $US20 million ($26 million).
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“We sincerely regret and apologize for the fact that Gretchen was not treated with the respect and dignity that she and all of our colleagues deserve”, Fox said in its statement.
These payments were substantially “smaller” than the $20 million paid to Carlson, the person said.
Almost simultaneous to FNC’s Van Susteren/Hume announcement – which took staffers by surprise, informed sources say, and which even Fox News’ media pundit Howard Kurtz conceded was “abrupt” – 21st Century Fox announced this morning Carlson had settled her lawsuit.
“I want to thank all the courageous women who came forward to tell their own stories and the many people across the country who embraced and supported me”, she said.
“All women deserve a dignified and respectful workplace”, she said.
The lawsuit led to the resignation of the politically powerful Ailes, a confidante of media magnate Rupert Murdoch who helped build Fox into a leader in cable news. Van Susteren is one of a number of key Fox personnel whose contract included a “key man” clause allowing her to leave if Ailes departed. When she was unable to renegotiate her contract, she chose to activate that clause. Ailes has consistently denied Carlson’s allegations that she was sacked from Fox after complaining of sexual harassment by Ailes and “sexist” treatment by former co-host Steve Doocy.
Carlson alleged that Ailes told her in a meeting, “You and I should have had a sexual relationship a long time ago”.
The settlement was announced hours before Fox News anchor Greta Van Susteren announced she would be leaving the network with a statement that began, “Yes, I have left the Fox News Channel”. That book detailed “multiple instances” of sexual harassment, Sherman told the National Public Radio in the US. Ailes, who is now advising GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump on the election, has reportedly retained attorney Charles Harder, the lawyer who represented Hulk Hogan in the $140 million invasion of privacy suit against Gawker Media. “And second, I did not know about any sexual harassment and keep it secret (of course.)”, she said on her Fox News blog, “Gretawire”, in August.
Another former Fox personality, Andrea Tantaros, has filed a harassment lawsuit against the network.
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“During her tenure at Fox News, Gretchen exhibited the highest standards of journalism and professionalism”, the statement from 21st Century Fox said. He said he’s taking on Van Susteren’s show through the election. He built it into a dominant news network and a force in Republican politics.
