Being targeted again by Douglas Wigdors law firm, well known for its pursuit of sexual misconduct cases, is an uncomfortable rerun for Fox. The suit also alleges other Fox News personalities, including Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Howard Kurtz and Gianno Caldwell, subjected Areu to inappropriate sexual harassment and retaliation. According to the complaint, Henry also sent numerous texts suggesting that she have sex with him. 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. Meanwhile, journalist Cathy Areu, who had been a frequent on-air guest on Fox News programsoften labeled by Carlson as The Liberal Sherpa for her ability to explain obscure, often lazily stereotyped left-wing beliefs to his viewershipalleged in the lawsuit that in early 2020,Henry sent her a slew of wildly inappropriate sexual images and messageswhich are in her possession.. This is not one of those cases, said Catherine Foti, an attorney for Henry. DeSantis To Run In 2024Its The Latest Sign Trump Is Losing Battleground States, Twitters Money Problems Deepen: Revenues Reportedly Plummet As Major Advertisers Jump Ship After Musks Takeover, Nursing Homes Face Federal Audit For Alleged Overuse Of Antipsychotic Drugs, George Santos Accused Of Pocketing Money Raised To Save Disabled Veterans Dying Service Dog. "With hospitalizations in the single digits at each of our hospitals, and the positivity rate now hovering at about 1 percent, we're optimistic that the worst is behind us," Riney said at the time. He made the comments as Areu was stuck and hooked into studio equipment, according to the lawsuit. Good long session last time, he wrote just after 10 a.m. in another series of texts. The two lawyers also represent numerous accusers of convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein who have sued him in civil court for damages. The other plaintiff, Cathy Areu, who was a regular guest on several Fox News programs, accuses Henry of sending her a slew of wildly inappropriate sexual images and messages, and accuses hosts Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Howard Kurtz and contributor Gianno Caldwell of sexual harassment. The lawsuit said that Fox knew that Henry who took a four-month leave of absence in 2016 following published reports of his affair with a Las Vegas cocktail waitress had engaged in sexual misconduct as far back as 2017. Fox News grappled with a series of embarrassing and often sordid lawsuits in the wake of the 2016 ouster of Ailes, its former chief executive who was alleged to have harassed several female staffers and other associates over the course of his career in TV. 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.. Of course, Fox News will have paid the investigator, who also happens to be a management-side employment lawyer. 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. Henry Ford Chief Operating Officer Robert G. Riney spoke with The Detroit News in June regarding Henry Ford hospital's decision to mandate the vaccine. 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. . In addition, the Wigdor Firm declined to provide the investigators with any of the emails, texts or other evidence they requested.. 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. 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Fox said Eckharts case is with Henry, since the network moved swiftly to fire him. More:Bill Cosby released from prison after sex assault conviction overturned by Pa. Supreme Court, More:James Franco agrees to pay $2.2M to settle sexual misconduct lawsuit filed by former students. ", NPR responded to the claim Friday. Henry's lawsuit also accuses Scott of "whitewashing" sexual misconduct by network employees, including an alleged affair between a company subordinate and Fox News President Jay Wallace, who co-signed the statement regarding Henry's termination with Scott. There were not sexual harassment claims against Ed Henry at Fox News prior to Jennifer Eckharts claim on June 25, 2020, the network added in its statement. Henryfiled a separate lawsuit the same day against several websites and Twitter handles who shared similar allegations against the former correspondent. The lawsuit names as defendants Paramount Pictures, director and co-producer Mike Nichols, screenplay author Jeffrey Abrams and others. The lawsuit names as defendants Paramount Pictures, director and co- producer Mike Nichols, screenplay author Jeffrey Abrams and others. Indeed, right after he sent the video, he wrote, I had no idea you were here [in Florida]. The morning after, Kurtz refused to meet with her at the studio and shortly after told her youre the only woman who wont come to my hotel room, according to the lawsuit. This is not one of those cases., Eckharts lawyer, Michael Willemin, accused Foti of trying to slut-shame Eckhart and suggest that she was asking to be violently raped. You dont own me, Eckhart replied. 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. As we know having watched the Weinstein trial (and represented many of his victims), that myth simply is not true. An Indiana couple filed a $100 million lawsuit claiming the movie Regarding Henry, in which Harrison Ford plays a man who suffers a severe brain injury, is based on their life story, which they tried to sell. In a statement, Eckhart said: "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.". Henry was later added as a co-anchor on Fox & Friends Weekend. 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. 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.. This is not one of those cases," the statement said. On Wednesday, Henry Ford Hospital employees filed a lawsuit against Henry Ford Hospital in U.S. District Court. The evidence in this case will demonstrate that Ms. Eckhart initiated and completely encouraged a consensual relationship. The lawsuit asserts Fox executives knew that Henry had been accused of sexual misconduct long before June 25. "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. "We remain confident that vaccination is the most powerful tool we all have against the COVID-19 pandemic," the statement read. I thought, This is my material. "Since the data show the vaccines work and the Food and Drug Administration is expected soon to grant permanent approval of the COVID-19 vaccines, Henry Ford has decided to mandate COVID vaccination by September 10. The complaint includes a number of graphic text messages that Henry allegedly sent Eckhart following the 2017 incident. Nothing could be further from the truth.. "Mr. Henry was not terminated after Fox News learned of these complaints. Michigan health care workers have recently filed a lawsuit with their employer, stating that the COVID-19 vaccine is an infringement upon their human rights. 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. Hannity and Carlson represent two-thirds of Foxs lucrative prime-time lineup, while Kurtz hosts the weekend Media Buzz show. He also allegedly took pictures of her on his cellphone. Eckhart's suit, which seeks a monetary award, also alleges that Henry violated federal sex trafficking laws. In this combination photo, Ed Henry, from left, speaks on "Fox & Friends" on Sept. 6, 2019, in New York, Tucker Carlson arrives for the 60th anniversary celebration of NBC's Meet the Press on Nov. 17, 2007, in Washington and Sean Hannity interviews Roseanne Barr during a taping of his show on July 26, 2018, in New York. Regarding Henry is the story of a New York lawyer, played by Harrison Ford, who suffers brain damage and amnesia after being shot in the head during a robbery. 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. Areu alleges in the complaint that Henry sent her "a slew of wildly inappropriate sexual images and messages" including photographs and video. 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.. Ed Henry was terminated after Fox News received a complaint on June 25 from a former employee's attorney. "Mr. Hannity, on set and in front of the entire studio crew and completely unsolicited threw $100 on the set desk. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. ", According to the complaint, "Mr. Carlson was probing to see whether Ms. Areu was interested in a sexual relationship." However, he returned to Fox News later that year, taking a position as chief national correspondent. 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. 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.. Areu accuses Henry ofsexual harassment, specifically by sending her "a slew of wildly inappropriate sexualimages and messages which are in her possession" through the first half of 2020. Russia is planning a major offensive. Areu said she was also propositioned by Gianno Caldwell, a Fox contributor. Henry continued to send inappropriate, flirtatious and, at times, sexually graphic text messages to Ms. Eckhart after they first met in the networks New York offices. In addition to Henrys alleged violent sexual misconduct, the lawsuit also claims sexual harassment by Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Howard Kurtz, and Gianno Caldwell. 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. 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