21st Century Fox reached a $20 million dollar settlement deal with former Fox News presenter, Gretchen Carlson.
The TV presenter left the network in June and in July filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against FOX News CEO Roger Ailes. Fox then brought in an outside law firm to probe into the allegations.
Carlson claimed that the reason for her termination was Ailes' retaliation for refusing his sexual advances. Other women have also come forward to share their own stories of the network boss' inappropriate behaviour.
Laurie Dhue, another former Fox News presenter, is said to be writing a book that would include some information about her time working with Ailes. Ex-host Andrea Tantaros also filed a lawsuit but was lambasted by the network saying she's not a victim but an opportunist.
Apart from the multimillion dollar settlement, Fox also offered an apology and praised Carlson for her contribution to the network.
"During her tenure at Fox News, Gretchen exhibited the highest standards of journalism and professionalism. She developed a loyal audience and was a daily source of information for many Americans," Fox said. "We sincerely regret and apologize for the fact that Gretchen was not treated with the respect and dignity that she and all of our colleagues deserve."
Carlson expressed her gratitude and thanked 21st Century Fox for handling her complaint decisively. She also thanked her followers and other victims of abuse for their support throughout the ordeal.
"I want to thank all the brave women who came forward to tell their own stories and the many people across the country who embraced and supported me in their #StandWithGretchen," she said. "All women deserve a dignified and respectful workplace in which talent, hard work and loyalty are recognised, revered and rewarded."
Roger Ailes resigned amidst the allegations. He continues to deny accusations and even hired a libel lawyer to aid his case.
According to more recent reports, Fox seems to be shouldering the entire $20 million dollar settlement. In earlier accounts, Ailes was supposedly going to pay some portion of the multimillion-dollar deal. Ailes lawyer later disclosed that he did not contribute.
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