The judge rejects Fox News from the sexual assault process against the former star

A federal judge rejected Fox News media from a process filed by former business producer Fox Jennifer Eckhart against the network and his former star, anchor and correspondent Ed Henry.

Fox Henry fired in July 2020 After an external investigation into “willing sexual conduct in the workplace”, determined by an internal complaint that Eckhart filed on the network. In the later civil process that month, she claimed that Henry raped her and has sexually harassed her for years, promising that she would advance her career in exchange for sex and care and coercion to do so. She claimed that Fox News should have known about Henry’s alleged behavior and did measures to stop him.

Eckhart’s process came on the way of the #metoo movement. Fox was at his epicenter: a The wave of revelations of episodes of omnipresent sexual harassment led to network disorders. Fox and its control owners, Murdochs, fired directors and celebrities and have undertaken a series of initiatives that they said will change the culture.

Eckhart’s costume said Fox “continues to protect and reward sexual harassment and refuse to take responsibility for putting such people in power positions.” She also claimed that her dismissal at the beginning of that year is based on a pretext. But Fox provided the documentation that indicated that he fired him for poor performance, including frequently delaying – a US district point, Ronnie Abrams, found sustained samples.

Henry, now anchor at Fox’s younger competitor, Newsmax, claimed that everything that happened sexually between him and Eckhart was consensual and would be claimed in court.

Abrams, based in Manhattan, claimed Fox’s statements that he could not know that “Henry would have attacked Eckhart because he had not learned about his alleged conduct than much later.”

“We are satisfied with the court’s decision, which speaks for itself,” Fox News said in a statement published by a spokesman.

“After finding out Jennifer Eckhart’s statements in 2020, Fox News performed an investigation by an external independent law firm and ceased Ed Henry within six days,” Fox added. “The discovery in this issue has confirmed that Fox News was not aware of their relationship or the accusations of Mrs. Eckhart until she left the company. The only people who know what happened between Mr. Henry and Mrs. Eckhart are the two.”

Former Fox manufacturer says will appeal to the decision

Eckhart said he would call for the fox news rejection of his trial.

“This fight is greater than me,” Eckhart said in a statement. “It is about changing a corporate culture that continues to allow abuses, fear, intimidation and silence.”

She said she was grateful that Abrams allowed Henry to proceed; The judge found that her accusations could convince “a reasonable jury”. The process is scheduled to start May 12.

The details of her statements are bleak and disturbing. In the court documents, she claims that Henry forced her to have oral sex at the Fox News headquarters in New York; She claims that, two years later, he handcuffed it as part of what her legal team called “a violent and painful rape” in a hotel room in Manhattan. Eckhart also claimed that Henry has violated sexual trafficking laws by delighting sex in exchange to help his career.

Judge Abrams rejected Eckart’s request for “revenge porn” against Henry. His legal team submitted explicit sexual photos he sent to strengthen his argument that the sexual relationship was consensual.

Henry had been suspended in 2016 by President Fox at that time, Roger Ailes, when the tabloid reports revealed his relationship with a host in Las Vegas. The Executive Vice President of Fox for Human Resources, Kevin Lord, confessed to a deposit in which Henry participated in a “sexual rehabilitation center” before returning. (Fox News “insists” that only “suggests (ED)” in which Henry participates, the judge wrote.)

A number of charges of sexual harassment

Ailes was dismissed in the summer of 2016, after the former host Gretchen Carlson filed complaints of sexual harassment and incorrect conduct against him and numerous other women of female followed with their own. Ailes died in 2017.

Other Stars Fox were soon forced on related charges including Steaua Primetime Bill O’reillyCorrespondent James Rosen and the Executive Francisco Cortes. All Save Rosen denied the accusations; Did not approach the charges When NPR has been revealed for the first time Well.

Fox, its insurers and O’Reilly have reached agreements to pay amounts in total value Over $ 200 million To establish wide -scale claims of sexual harassment and eliminate some of those accused, including Ailes and O’Reilly.

Henry not only came back in the air but was promoted, eventually becoming a co-host of the morning show The news room in America.

In 2017, a colleague warned the senior directors of Fox not to give Henry a greater prominence on the network, as he could damage Fox’s efforts to reform his culture at work.

In the case of Eckhart, Fox resolutely rejected any knowledge and, therefore, responsibility for Henry’s actions and attack. Eckhart acknowledged that she did not expressly reveal what she claims is her routine harassment by male and not just Henry, until she was fired; However, she quoted a “toxic” environment at work in a previous meeting about her performance.

At the time of the trial in 2020, Fox said that he took seriously “all the requests for harassment, incorrect behavior and reprisals, researching him promptly and taking immediate measures, as necessary – in this case, the corresponding action based on our investigation is to defend with power against these accusations without foundation.”