Fox Faces Lawsuit From Former Executive Accused of Sexual Assault
July 25 2017 - 9:04PM
Dow Jones News
By Joe Flint
A former Fox News executive who left the company after being
accused of sexual assault and harassment by an on-air contributor
has sued the channel's parent, 21st Century Fox, alleging fraud and
breach of contract.
Francisco Cortes, a vice president at Fox News Latino, left the
channel last fall after Tamara Holder accused him of exposing
himself to her and attempting to force her into a sexual act,
people familiar with the matter said. He denies the misconduct
alleged by Ms. Holder.
In the suit, filed Tuesday in the Southern District of New York,
Mr. Cortes claims that 21st Century Fox violated the terms of a
settlement agreement the parties reached by issuing a statement to
the New York Times that he claims disparaged him and damaged his
reputation.
The Times story in question, which was published on March 8 and
lays out Ms. Holder's claim that she was sexually assaulted by Mr.
Cortes, includes a statement from Fox News and Ms. Holder that says
the network investigated her claim promptly. The statement doesn't
refer to Mr. Cortes by name.
Ms. Holder, who no longer has ties to Fox News, received a $2.5
million settlement payment, a person with knowledge of the pact
said.
A Fox News spokeswoman said, "The allegations in this lawsuit
are frivolous and without merit."
In his complaint, Mr. Cortes says he will provide evidence
including emails and photos to show the relationship with Ms.
Holder was consensual. Mr. Cortes is seeking $48 million in
damages.
21st Century Fox and Wall Street Journal parent News Corp share
common ownership.
The Cortes-Holder matter was one of many incidents of alleged
sexual harassment Fox News dealt with over the past year. Roger
Ailes resigned as the network's chairman and chief executive in
July 2016 amid a company investigation into allegations by multiple
women that he harassed them. Fox has paid to settle several
lawsuits related to Mr. Ailes' alleged misconduct. On-air star Bill
O'Reilly also exited after payments he and the channel had made to
settle complaints became public.
Mr. Ailes, who died in May, denied all charges of harassment as
did Mr. O'Reilly.
Federal prosecutors have been investigating whether 21st Century
Fox made sufficient disclosures to its investors about earlier
settlements of sexual-harassment claims against Mr. Ailes, people
familiar with the matter said. The company has said it is
cooperating with the probe.
Write to Joe Flint at joe.flint@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 25, 2017 20:49 ET (00:49 GMT)
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