Washington D.C [USA], Sept. 7 : After a long two-month battle with a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by its former anchor Gretchen Carlson against chairman Roger Ailes, Fox News' parent company has finally decided to settle things for 20 million dollars.
In a statement released recently, Fox News's parent company expressed "sincere regret" over the incident, reports the Guardian.
"21st Century Fox is pleased to announce that it has settled Gretchen Carlson's lawsuit," the statement said, adding, "During her tenure at Fox News, Gretchen exhibited the highest standards of journalism and professionalism." The company apologised to the former 'Fox and Friends' anchor "for the fact that Gretchen was not treated with the respect and dignity that she and all of our colleagues deserve".
The lawsuit filed by Carlson on July 6 alleged the network's powerful chairman of propositioning her for sex and threatening to ruin her career if she refused.
On a related note, Carlson was fired from the network after she denied sexual advances from Ailes. However, according to him, he fired Carlson over poor ratings. The former anchor's claims unleashed a wave of accusations from other women who encountered Ailes during his decades-long career in television and Republican politics.
In the weeks following her lawsuit, more than 20 women contacted Carlson's attorneys and investigators hired by 21st Century Fox on this issue, to say they had also been victims.
Source: ANI
