Fox News has reached a $20 million (€18 million) settlement of former anchor Gretchen Carlson’s sexual harassment lawsuit against the network’s former chief, Roger Ailes, a source familiar with the situation said yesterday.
The Fox News parent company, 21st Century Fox, offered a public apology to Carlson, who filed suit against Mr Ailes in July, saying he took her off a popular show and cut her pay because she refused to have a sexual relationship with him.
Mr Ailes, a former political consultant who founded the conservative news operation in 1996, left Fox less than three weeks after Ms Carlson filed suit, taking a $40 million severance package.
Other women who had worked for him came forward with allegations of harassment after Ms Carlson’s suit.
Mr Ailes was the only defendant in the suit and a Fox spokesman said his contract indemnified him from employment-related claims, which is why the company is settling on his behalf.
Lawsuit withdrawn
A court filing showed Ms Carlson (50), had voluntarily dismissed her federal lawsuit in New Jersey against Mr Ailes.
A statement from 21st Century Fox said, “We sincerely regret and apologise for the fact that Gretchen was not treated with the respect and dignity that she and all of our colleagues deserve.”
Fox News also announced yesterday that Greta Van Susteren, host of the On the Record , was leaving the network after 14 years.– Reuters
Courtesy of the Irish Times
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