Fake #Metoo? Wild lawsuit accuses Ed Henry of making an employee his ‘sex slave’ and handcuffing and raping her in a hotel room – also targets Carlson and Hannity.
Quick Look:
Fox News has learned a lesson about what happens when you hire progressive women in the office.
Jennifer Eckhart and Cathy Areau are suing the network for sexual harrassment.
- The federal suit was filed Monday in New York by Jennifer Eckhart, a former associate producer at Fox Business, and Cathy Areu, a guest on the network
- Eckhart claims Henry raped her after trying to coerce her into a sexual relationship
- Areu claims she was sexually harassed by Henry and several other men at the network – including star anchors Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson
- Henry was fired by Fox News on July 1 after an unnamed employee – now revealed to be Eckhart – accused him of sexual misconduct
- The former anchor denied the allegations in the lawsuit in a statement Monday and claimed his relationship with Eckhart was consensual
- Fox News denied the suit’s claims that it ‘not only cultivated and fostered sexual harassment and misconduct, but has consistently accepted and rewarded it’
Former Fox News anchor Ed Henry has been accused of ‘violently raping’ one woman and sexually harassing another in a bombshell new lawsuit.
Eckhart claims that Henry – who was fired from the network on July 1 after an unnamed employee accused him of sexual misconduct – handcuffed her and raped her in a hotel room after trying to coerce her into a sexual relationship.
Areu claims she was sexually harassed by Henry, 49, and several other men at the network – including star anchors Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson and journalists Howard Kurtz and Gianno Caldwell.
The lawsuit describes how Hannity allegedly offered staff $100 to take Areu on a date while she served as a regular face on his primetime show in 2018.
The lawsuit names Fox News, Henry, Hannity, Carlson and Kurtz as defendants.
‘It is widely documented in the public record that Fox News has not only cultivated and fostered sexual harassment and misconduct, but has consistently accepted and rewarded it,’ Monday’s complaint states.
‘Nevertheless, Fox News would have the public believe that it is a different place from the Fox News that was run by former disgraced Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes.’
A spokesperson for the network issued a statement about the lawsuit to DailyMail.com which denies the plaintiffs’ claims and vows to fight them ‘vigorously’.
‘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,’ the spokesperson said.
‘We take all claims of harassment, misconduct and retaliation seriously, promptly investigating them and taking immediate action as needed — in this case, the appropriate action based on our investigation is to defend vigorously against these baseless allegations.
‘Ms. Areu and Jennifer Eckhart can pursue their claims against Ed Henry directly with him, as FOX News already took swift action as soon as it learned of Ms. Eckhart’s claims on June 25 and Mr. Henry is no longer employed by the network.’
lawsuit names Fox News, Henry, Hannity, Carlson and Kurtz as defendants.
‘It is widely documented in the public record that Fox News has not only cultivated and fostered sexual harassment and misconduct, but has consistently accepted and rewarded it,’ Monday’s complaint states.
‘Nevertheless, Fox News would have the public believe that it is a different place from the Fox News that was run by former disgraced Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes.’
A spokesperson for the network issued a statement about the lawsuit to DailyMail.com which denies the plaintiffs’ claims and vows to fight them ‘vigorously’.
‘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,’ the spokesperson said.
‘We take all claims of harassment, misconduct and retaliation seriously, promptly investigating them and taking immediate action as needed — in this case, the appropriate action based on our investigation is to defend vigorously against these baseless allegations.
‘Ms. Areu and Jennifer Eckhart can pursue their claims against Ed Henry directly with him, as FOX News already took swift action as soon as it learned of Ms. Eckhart’s claims on June 25 and Mr. Henry is no longer employed by the network.’
The Me Too movement has helped to bring to light a number of injustices in our society, and everyone that has suffered deserves to be heard. This is not one of those cases,’ Foti said.
‘The evidence in this case will demonstrate that Ms. Eckhart initiated and completely encouraged a consensual relationship. Ed Henry looks forward to presenting actual facts and evidence, which will contradict the fictional accounts contained in the complaint. That evidence includes graphic photos and other aggressively suggestive communications that Ms. Eckhart sent to Mr. Henry.’
Fox News responds to lawsuit allegations
A spokesperson for the network issued a statement about the lawsuit to DailyMail.com which denies the plaintiffs’ claims and vows to fight them ‘vigorously’.
‘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,’ the spokesperson said.
‘We take all claims of harassment, misconduct and retaliation seriously, promptly investigating them and taking immediate action as needed — in this case, the appropriate action based on our investigation is to defend vigorously against these baseless allegations.
‘Ms. Areu and Jennifer Eckhart can pursue their claims against Ed Henry directly with him, as FOX News already took swift action as soon as it learned of Ms. Eckhart’s claims on June 25 and Mr. Henry is no longer employed by the network.’
