Less than 24 hours after several news outlets reported that Fox News and host Bill O’Reilly had reached a settlement agreement over a sexual harassment lawsuit, the network, its co-president Bill Shine and its former chairman Roger Ailes were hit with another sexual harassment lawsuit on Monday.
In the new lawsuit, contributor Julie Roginsky claims former Fox News chief Roger Ailes harassed her and the network targeted her for retaliation, Huffington Post reported.
According to the report, Roginsky filed a complaint Monday in New York state court claiming that Ailes made repeated sexual advances toward her. After she turned them down, Roginsky alleges that Fox News and Shine, specifically, retaliated against her by denying her opportunities at the top-rated cable news network.
Shine, a longtime Fox News executive, became co-president after the resignation of Ailes, who left amid widespread harassment allegations in July. The lawsuit alleges that Roginsky faced repercussions for not joining “Team Roger” by initially defending the network boss following the sexual harassment lawsuit filed by former host Gretchen Carlson.
The latest allegations raise more troubling questions about Shine’s current stewardship of Fox News and the toxic culture fostered during Ailes’ 20-year reign.
Julie Roginsky | Fox News
Roginsky’s lawsuit follows other recent claims against high-level Fox employees that alleged sexual assault and racial discrimination, and a New York Times investigation published Saturday on $13 million having been paid in settlements to five O’Reilly accusers. Meanwhile, Fox News host Andrea Tantaros’ suit against Ailes, Shine, and others executives is still outstanding.
A Fox News spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
