Fox News' Ailes Trying to Compel Arbitration in Harassment Complaint
Fox News head Roger Ailes is attempting to send a sexual harassment complaint by former Fox Channel host Gretchen Carlson into arbitration. In a motion to compel arbitration (in Pacer) filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Newark, New Jersey,…
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Ailes said Carlson's 2013 employment agreement with the cable network contained an arbitration provision but Carlson ignored that when filing her harassment complaint earlier this month in New Jersey Superior Court "so that her counsel could tar Mr. Ailes' reputation publicly, try this case in the media press, and coerce him to settle." Ailes said suing only him, and not Fox News, was "a transparent attempt" to sidestep that employment agreement's arbitration requirement. In a statement, Carlson's lawyers said Ailes "is trying to force this case into a secret arbitration proceeding. Gretchen never agreed to arbitrate anything with Mr. Ailes and the contract on which he relies does not mention him and is not signed by him. Gretchen intends to fight for her right to a public jury trial, a right protected by the discrimination laws and our Constitution. It is disturbing that the head of a large media company would try to silence the press and hide from the public a matter of such importance."