In a series of messages, Henry states Whatever When u r owned U dont get a Choice, to which Eckhart responded You dont own me., The lawsuit also accused Fox Newss announcement of Henrys firing of being completely disingenuous and of downplaying the severity of the allegations by characterizing Henrys actions as merely sexual misconduct. . AP Mr. Carlson promptly retaliated against Ms. Areu, who was featured on his show only three times in 2019 and has not appeared once in 2020.. Henrys lawyer, Catherine Foti, said Monday that her clients accuser, Jennifer Eckhart, initiated and encouraged a sexual relationship. I am hopeful that my decision to file this action will result in positive change for women at Fox, and for all victims in the workplace, and I am honored that other women have come forward since my decision to do so.. It also says he took naked photos of Eckhart without her consent before the alleged assault. Since coming on board as CEO in 2018, Suzanne Scott has worked to create a different atmosphere, an acknowledgement that the factors behind Ailes ouster had negative effects on employees. She declined but invited him to dinner with her and a friend in town, which he declined. 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. There were not sexual harassment claims against Ed Henry at FOX News prior to Jennifer Eckharts claim on June 25, 2020, a Fox spokesperson replied in a statement. regarding "willful sexual misconduct in the workplace years ago." Former Fox News anchor Ed Henry (from left) and high-profile hosts Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity are all named in a lawsuit alleging different instances of sexual misconduct. Because that condition is unreasonable, as evidence cannot be suppressed or hidden in this manner in litigation, our investigators were not given access to speak to either plaintiff. 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. EVANSVILLE, Ind. On one occasion, he told her to remove her underwear and deliver it to him in an envelope. During Areus March 8, 2018 appearance on Hannitys show, the lawsuit alleged, the prime-time star threw $100 on the set desk. Eckharts lawyers also provided in the complaint a series of text messages in which Henry referred to their relationship in graphic terms. The plaintiffs are seeking a jury trial and damages. On Wednesday, Henry Ford Hospital employees filed a lawsuit against Henry Ford Hospital in U.S. District Court. However, I simply could not stay silent given the tremendous harm that Mr. Henry and others at Fox News have caused for women affiliated with the company. The lawsuit additionally accused Fox News of willfully downplaying the severity of the allegations against Henry in order to protect the networks reputation. The suit also alleges Henry sent other inappropriate texts, including messages suggesting Areu have sex with him. 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. In June 2021, Henry Ford Hospital became the first Michigan health system to mandate the vaccine for all employees, students, volunteers and contractors by a specific deadline. Fox News, which in recent years has been hit by numerous accusations of sexual misconduct that forced out founder Roger Ailes and top host Bill O'Reilly, announced on July 1 that it had fired Henry after investigating an accusation of sexual misconduct against him by a former employee. In a later statement, a Fox News spokesperson denied the claim that it knew of the claims by Eckhart before June 25. The cable news network fired Henry after Fox Media completed an independent investigation into a former employee's sexual misconduct claim. "Millions of Americans trust NPR to provide accurate information about the world and their communities every day; we take this responsibility very seriously. It is widely documented in the public record that Fox News has not only cultivated and fostered sexual harassment and misconduct, but has consistently accepted and rewarded it. As we know having watched the Weinstein trial (and represented many of his victims), that myth simply is not true. Heres what that might look like. This is not one of those cases. Henry was terminated on July 1 after Fox News received a complaint on June 25 from a former employee about Henrys behavior from years ago, according to a statement made in July by Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott and President Jay Wallace. In 2017, one of the networks most high-profile anchors, Bill OReilly, was fired after it was revealed that he, along with Fox, had reached numerous settlements with women accusing him of misconduct. ", In a statement Foti said: "The Me Too movement has helped to bring to light a number of injustices in our society, and everyone that has suffered deserves to be heard. Fox News Media rejected Henry's allegation. Areu politely declined but invited Mr. Kurtz to dinner with her and a friend who was in town. 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. "Ms. Eckhart did not consent to any part of this violent, painful rape," the lawsuit says. In addition, the Wigdor Firm declined to provide the investigators with any of the emails, texts or other evidence they requested.. The lawsuit asserts Fox executives knew that Henry had been accused of sexual misconduct long before June 25. My decision to speak out was not an easy one, but I refuse to let fear of retaliation, victim shaming and further attacks intimidate me into remaining silent. Mrs. Cox said she doubts he would have had enough life experiences at that age to write the story in such a short time. Fox News is facing more allegations of sexual misconduct as two women filed a lawsuit Monday in which former anchor Ed Henry is accused of rape and network executives are accused of knowing of his alleged behavior and ignoring it long before he was fired this month. Eckhart says in the lawsuit that Henry raped her and "left her injured, bruised and battered with bloody wrists"in a New York hotel room "sometime in 2017" and thatFox executives were informed "in graphic and specific detail" about her claim. The lawsuit filed in New York describes Areus discomfort with a March 2018 incident on the set of Hannitys show where the host allegedly put $100 on a desk and challenged the men on his staff to take her out on a date. "Wetake 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. One former Fox News staffer and one frequent on-air guest at the network filed suit in federal court Monday, alleging they had been harassed individually by Ed Henry, the Fox News anchor who was fired by the cable-news outlet earlier this month following a complaint about willful sexual misconduct in the workplace, and their disclosures threaten to revive an era that the Fox Corp.-owned media company had hoped to put behind it after the ouster of Roger Ailes. Among the most serious of the allegations, Eckhart says that in 2015, Henry forced her to perform oral sex on him at the Fox News building in New York. Like him, I suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury (and 5 week coma) from a car accident, instead of a bullet! Indeed, right after he sent the video, he wrote, I had no idea you were here [in Florida]. USA TODAY has also reached out to CNN for comment. 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. Some of the names in leadership may have changed since (former CEOf) Roger Ailes regime, but Fox News institutional apathy towards sexual misconduct has not," the lawsuit asserts. The lawsuit says Areu, who was also a frequent guest on Kurtz's "Media Buzz" show, believes Kurtz tried to get her to join him in a hotel room in January 2019, at a time when she reached out to him seeking a full-time job at Fox. As if this were not already obvious enough, shortly after this, Mr. Kurtz stated to Ms. Areu, in sum and substance, youre the only woman here who wont come to my hotel room. Ms. Areu has only appeared approximately three times on Media Buzz following her rejection of Mr. Kurtzs advances.. Months later, Eckhart claimed, Henry forced her to perform disturbing sexual acts on him. 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. On ExpressNews.com: Thomas J. Henry, law firm among defendants in lawsuit filed by alleged sexual assault victim She accused Henry, Thomas J. Henry Law Evansville Couple Claims Regarding Henry is Their Story October 8, 1993 EVANSVILLE, Ind. "Mr. Kurtz was punishing Ms. Areu for refusing to join him at hishotel. I will fight with every fiber of my being, Henry tweeted on Monday evening. 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. The two lawyers also represent numerous accusers of convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein who have sued him in civil court for damages. 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. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. Fox News White House correspondent Ed Henry prepares to do a stand-up in the Brady Briefing Room of [+] the White House in Washington, D.C. Jennifer Eckhart, a former Fox Business associate producer, alleges in the suit that Henry preyed upon, manipulated and groomed her and sexually assaulted her on company premises when she did not comply, further accusing him of raping her at a hotel the network used to lodge visiting employees. 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 are false, patently frivolous and utterly devoid of any merit," the network said in a statement to USA TODAY. One of the plaintiffs, Jennifer Eckhart, alleged she was assaulted by Henry, while the other, Cathy Areu, claimed in the filing that Henry sent her sexually graphic photos and messages. Ms. Areu and Jennifer Eckhart can pursue their claims against Ed 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., The Me Too movement has helped to bring to light a number of injustices in our society, and everyone that has suffered deserves to be heard. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. Nothing could be further from the truth, and it is precisely because of these types of attacks that many victims of sexual assault and rape suffer in silence.. The lawsuit alleges Henry sexually harassed both women and raped Eckhart. In addition to Henrys alleged violent sexual misconduct, the lawsuit also claims sexual harassment by Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Howard Kurtz, and Gianno Caldwell. Unfortunately, it is actually worse, the suit says. 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