Two Fox News employees have taken to Manhattan federal court to file a lawsuit alleging sexual misconduct in their workplace.

In the Fox News lawsuit, former producer Jennifer E. says that she was raped by former host Ed Henry, who then harassed her. She says that she was fired after the incident, and after she tried to stand up against a damaging workplace culture. In the same lawsuit, Cathy A. asserts that she was solicited by Tucker Carlson and harassed by Sean Hannity. She argues that she was denied a full-time job after she rejected the advances of the Fox hosts.

The two women also say that they suffered harassment from host Howard Kurtz and from Gianno Caldwell, a political analyst. Caldwell does not face formal claims from the two women.

The two women have pointed the finger both at the Fox stars and at the network itself, saying that the harassment and the network’s responses to the climate violated New York city and state law.

Henry was recently fired from Fox News for “sexual misconduct” without elaborating on what the producer says was done to her. Fox News has responded to the lawsuit filed by Jennifer. The news source says that it handled the allegations against Henry appropriately in firing him. However, Fox News denies the allegations brought forward by Cathy E., calling them “baseless allegations,” quotes CNN.

In their lawsuit, Jennifer and Cathy mention the resignation of Roger Ailes, former executive at Fox News. They note that he was ousted after sexual harassment allegations, but say that company culture has not improved in the four years since he left, and instead, it has gotten worse. 

NPR reports that a number of former staff members have said that the company has a longstanding culture of sexism that were not ousted with Ailes.

In their Fox News lawsuit, both women speak to the effects of this culture on their careers.

Cathy explains that she was harassed by Carlson, Hannity, and others. In particular, she says that she declined sexual advances made by Carlson. Allegedly, before she had rejected Carlson, her appearance on his show was drastically limited.

Similarly, in the Fox News lawsuit, Cathy says that she experienced retaliation after rejecting advances of Howard Kurtz. Allegedly, he asked her to come to his hotel room, making an excuse that he wanted to talk about possible full-time employment at the company. When she declined, he allegedly retaliated by also reducing her appearances on his show, MediaBuzz. Supposedly, she had previously been a regular guest on the show.

Cathy says that she was afraid to speak about the harassment and retaliation she had suffered. CNN quotes her as saying “I simply could not stay silent given the tremendous harm Mr. Henry and others at Fox News have caused for women affiliated with the company.”

Fox has responded to allegations of their allegedly hostile work environment by saying it is the company’s practice to respond to “all claims of harassment, misconduct and retaliation seriously, promptly investigating them and taking immediate action as needed.” The company points to Henry’s firing as evidence that company culture has improved since Ailes left, explains CNN. 

The company asserted that it had conducted an independent investigation into Cathy’s claims which supposedly revealed that her allegations were false. In the case of Cathy’s allegations, “the appropriate action based on our investigation is to defend vigorously against these baseless allegations,” claims Fox News, as quoted by CNN.

CNN then digs into why the allegedly problematic culture at Fox might be hard to shake. CNN says that Ailes “ran the network like a mob boss” since he started it in 1996. According to CNN, this meant “rewarding those who were loyal and punishing those who strayed.” Unfortunately, some critics both inside and outside of the organization say that the toxic work culture has persisted.

In recent years, a range of institutions have come under fire for fostering cultures of sexism, in which sexual harassment, misconduct, and assault may run rampant. Allegations of abuse have been launched against a range of organizations. Notably, the Catholic Church, Boy Scouts of America, and high-level sports organizations have faced criticism for allegedly covering up abuse. 

The #MeToo and #TimesUp movements have helped shed light on the issues of sexual abuse and harassment that many people face in the workplace. In particular, these movements have helped amplify the voices of women who have experienced harassment in the workplace in the media industry and in other industries. Now, lawsuits like the Fox News lawsuit aim to hold places of employment accountable for their role in these alleged instances. 

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.