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The lawsuit was introduced by Jennifer Eckhart, a former Fox Business Network producer and on-line persona who made the rape allegation in opposition to Henry, and Cathy Areu, a journalist who appeared incessantly on Fox News.
Catherine Foti, an legal professional representing Henry, stated in a press release that Henry engaged in what she described as a consensual relationship with Eckhart.
“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,” Foti stated. “This is not one of those cases.”
“The evidence in this case will demonstrate that Ms. Eckhart initiated and completely encouraged a consensual relationship,” Foti added. “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.”
The lawsuit additionally alleged that Areu was subjected to sexual harassment by three different Fox News hosts: Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson and Howard Kurtz.
In a press release, a Fox News spokesperson rejected claims of harassment concerning these three hosts. The assertion stated a “comprehensive independent investigation” that included interviews with “numerous eyewitnesses” was carried out by an out of doors legislation agency, and described Areu’s allegations as “false, patently frivolous and utterly devoid of any merit.”
“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,” the Fox News spokesperson stated.
The Fox News spokesperson added, “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.”
An allegation of rape
The lawsuit stated that Henry began flirting with Eckhart in 2014, when she had just lately graduated from journalism college. The lawsuit stated Eckhart made clear she was “not romantically interested” in Henry, however that he continued in his advances and she or he finally agreed to have drinks with him one night time.
After ending their drinks, the lawsuit stated, Henry invited Eckhart to his room. When they arrived on the room, the lawsuit stated Henry “ripped off her clothes” and that she finally had sexual activity with him “fearing that her career would be over if she refused.”
The lawsuit described Henry as persevering with to pursue Eckhart, regardless of her makes an attempt to rebuff him. In one occasion in September 2015, Eckhart alleged, Henry pressured her to carry out oral intercourse on him in a visitor workplace at Fox News’ New York City headquarters.
In 2017, the lawsuit stated, Eckhart agreed to fulfill Henry for one more drink. After Henry disclosed he was about to be promoted to an anchor function on the community, the lawsuit stated, he invited Eckhart “to take a walk and discuss her career at his hotel,” to which Eckhart agreed “out of concern for her job.”
When the 2 entered the lodge room, the lawsuit alleged that Henry — who the lawsuit stated had expressed curiosity in bondage — “applied metal handcuffs” to Eckhart’s wrists and threw her onto the mattress, regardless of her objections. The lawsuit stated Henry “proceeded to take naked photographs” of Eckhart, regardless of Eckhart having “pleaded for him to stop” and delete the pictures.
“When Mr. Henry was done taking photographs, he proceeded to forcefully rape Ms. Eckhart while she was still restrained and helpless in handcuffs,” the lawsuit stated. “While raping Ms. Eckhart, Mr. Henry performed sadistic acts on Ms. Eckhart, which included, among many other things, violently hitting her in the face multiple times.”
According to the lawsuit, Eckhart “made every possible effort to cease all communications” with Henry afterward. The lawsuit stated, nonetheless, that he “continued to harass and retaliate against her for rejecting his continued advances.”
According to the lawsuit, Eckhart notified Fox News human relations and her supervisor on February 10, 2020, that she was “experiencing a toxic work environment.” The lawsuit says nobody ever adopted up together with her, however that the corporate retaliated in opposition to her by “informing her that her employment would be terminated” in June after greater than seven years of working for the community.
More allegations of harassment
Eckhart wasn’t the one goal of Henry’s advances, in response to the lawsuit. The lawsuit stated Henry despatched Areu “a slew of widely inappropriate sexual images and messages” in 2020.
One such message, in response to the lawsuit, included a video of a mock job interview in which the girl “exposes her vagina” and the interviewer “indicates that she got the job.” The lawsuit stated Henry knew Areu needed to be employed by Fox News and “was telling her, in no uncertain terms, that he would assist her career if she had sex with him.”
The lawsuit stated that after a May 21 telephone name, in which Areu didn’t comply with Henry’s advances, Henry referred to as her a “jerk” and reduce off contact together with her.
The lawsuit additionally described one occasion in 2018 in which Hannity allegedly “threw $100” on a desk and “began calling out to the men in the room and demanding that someone take” her out on a date.
Also in 2018, the lawsuit stated, Carlson advised her he can be alone in his lodge room in New York. The lawsuit described Carlson as “probing to see” whether or not Areu “was interested in a sexual relationship.”
And in July 2019, the lawsuit stated, Kurtz invited her to fulfill in the foyer bar of the lodge he was staying at. It alleged he later implied he was upset she had not gone to his lodge room.
The lawsuit stated that when Areu refused to go together with what Hannity, Carlson, and Kurtz requested for or recommended, her appearances on their reveals have been dramatically lowered.
A Fox News spokesperson stated that the investigation carried out by the surface legislation agency decided all of Areu’s claims to be false.
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