Fox News accused of Sexual Harassment and Retaliation
New York – Sexual harassment at Fox News continues to be exposed. Andrea Tantaros, ex-Fox News host, recently filed a sexual harassment lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court located in Manhattan. The sexual harassment lawsuit claims Fox Network executives along with Roger Ailes’ replacement retaliated against her for revealing the sexual harassment she endured by the former Fox News CEO.
Tantaros started working at Fox News as a contributor in 2010. The following year she was promoted to co-host of the 5p.m. show “The Five.” After Tantaros began co-hosting, executives informed her that she was prohibited from wearing pants, so Ailes could view her legs on air. Although it is not illegal for women to wear pants at work, in the event that Tantaros rejected Ailes’ request, there is a high chance that she would’ve experienced retaliation sooner.
In August 2014, the sexual harassment lawsuit says Roger Ailes requested Tantaros’ presence in his office to inquire about her personal life regarding marriage and children. Ailes allegedly followed up with “complaints and off-color jokes” about marriage. He later asked her to spin so he could “get a good look at her.” Fox News was supposed to be strictly a professional environment, but Ailes and other executives managed to consistently incorporate their “sexual habits and preferences” into the workplace.
Tantaros said she rejected Ailes sexual advances and requests, and then she faced a demotion as a form of retaliation. The demotion included co-hosting a show with low ratings. After the demotion Tantaros said she had two similar meetings with Ailes that discussed how she looks in a bikini and a previous relationship. One meeting took place in December 2014, and the other meeting occurred in February 2015.
Tantaros said she continued to reject Ailes sexual approach and claims Fox News exposed her to hostility and an interview with a writer from the publicity department. In the interview, Tantaros received questions about her chest and being a complicated individual to work with. As a result of the sexual harassment, Tantaros became emotional. It was an endless battle that she could not win alone.
In April 2015, Tantaros said she had a meeting with the senior news executive, Bill Shine, and told him about the sexual harassment she experienced during her meetings with Ailes. She also questioned his role in the publicity interview. Shine told Tantaros that she “needs to let this one go.” Shine’s loyalty to Ailes overpowered doing the right thing on behalf of the former Fox News host. Shine became the new co-president after Ailes resigned from the network. A representative said Shine told her Tantaros never informed him about sexual harassment with Ailes.
Tantaros stated in the lawsuit, “Fox News masquerades as a defender of traditional family values, but behind the scenes it operates like a sex fueled, Playboy Mansion like cult, steeped in intimidation, indecency and misogyny.”
According to Fox News, Tantaros violated her contact when she released a book without notifying or receiving approval from Fox network. The sexual harassment lawyer representing Tantaros claims the alleged book violation was Fox’s way to keep Tantaros quiet. The lawyer representing Fox claims Tantaros fabricated the sexual harassment allegations to “gain leverage.”
The lawsuit states, Fox News made a “seven figure” offer to Tantaros to discard the sexual harassment allegations against Ailes and other top executives at Fox Network. Currently, a decision regarding the offer during arbitration has not been finalized. Both parties declined comments during the pending lawsuit.
Sexual Harassment Lawyer New York City
Fox News is facing another sexual harassment lawsuit by a new woman. It is evident from the overflow of sexual harassment lawsuits over the past few months that the Fox network has a serious problem. If you have ever been a victim of sexual harassment by one or multiple top executives in New York City, Miami, New Jersey, or Philadelphia, call us at 800-807-2209 for a free consultation.
