Former Fox New host Gretchen Carlson has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Roger Ailes, the company’s chairman and CEO.
She claims he fired her after “she complained about a hostile working environment” and refused to sleep with Ailes.
From USA Today:
“Ailes has unlawfully retaliated against Carlson and sabotaged her career because she refused his sexual advances and complained about severe and pervasive sexual harassment,” the complaint read. “When Carlson met with Ailes to discuss the discriminatory treatment to which she was being subjected, Ailes stated: ‘I think you and I should have had a sexual relationship a long time ago and then you’d be good and better and I’d be good and better,’ adding that ‘sometimes problems are easier to solve’ that way.”
She said her former Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy made “a hostile work environment by regularly treating her in a sexist and condescending way, including by putting his hand on her and pulling down her arm to shush her during a live broadcast.”
The suit also states that “Doocy yanked Carlson’s arm down to silence her during a live telecast” and even “mocked her during commercial breaks.” She said Doocy “refused to engage with her on the program.”
Ailes allegedly called her a “manhater” and “killer” when he heard about her complaints. In retaliation, the network did not give her lucrative assignments and pulled her weekly appearance on The O’Reilly Factor. They gave her the show “The Real Story with Gretchen Carlson,” but she believes lowered her profile at Fox News. She also claimed:
Among other charges Carlson levies on Ailes: “Ogling Carlson in his office and asking her to turn around so he could view her posterior;” “commenting that certain outfits enhanced Carlson’s figure and urging her to wear them every day;” “commenting repeatedly about Carlson’s legs;” and “lamenting that marriage was ‘boring,’ ‘hard,’ and ‘not much fun.’”
The network did not renew her contract when it expired on June 26.
Her legal counsel says more women have contacted them about harassment they have received from Ailes:
“Several women have called us and have asked us if they can relate their similar experiences,” said Nancy Erika Smith, an employment litigator for Smith Mullin, P.C., who is part of the team handling Carlson’s case. “That certainly is relevant in the law. The law allows us to bring other victims of similar harassment for the jury to see that this is a pattern of behavior.”
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY