MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st July, 2020) Harassment and sexual assault lawsuit has been filed against former Fox news host Ed Henry, who was fired last month following a probe into "willful sexual misconduct in the workplace," The Hill reported.
The investigation by a third-party law firm was launched after Henry received a complaint from the lawyer of former employee Jennifer Eckhart alleging that the 49-year-old journalist had been "preyed upon, manipulated and groomed" her since she was 24 years old. In response, Henry's lawyer Catherine Foti distributed statements saying that he denied the charges.
The Federal lawsuit was reportedly filed on Monday on behalf of Jennifer Eckhart and Cathy Areu, both are the broadcaster's former employees, and alleges that Henry sexually harassed both women and raped Eckhart.
In addition, according to the lawsuit, the broadcaster backed Henry and promoted him presumably knowing about his misconduct, while the host was fired only after Fox News realized the inevitability of the upcoming lawsuit. It also alleges that several other Fox News employees were also implicated in sexual harassment.
The broadcaster, in turn, insists on the unreliability of the accusations against its management and other employees.
"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 Areu's 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," Fox News said.
Henry's dismissal is not the first time when a Fox News journalist leaves the channel due to claims of sexual harassment of colleagues. In 2017, 21 Century Fox, which owns the broadcaster, announced the dismissal of its host and political commentator Bill O'Reilly, who was also involved in a harassment scandal.
