New York City's Commission on Human Rights Tuesday slapped Fox News with a $1 million fine as part of a settlement of a sexual harassment investigation, marking the highest civil penalty ordered in the commission's history.
USAToday reports the settlement stems from an investigation conducted by the commission in response to "a series of high-profile reports alleging a culture of pervasive sexual harassment and retaliation at the network."
High-profile Fox personnel, including the late former network chief Roger Ailes and former anchors Bill O'Reilly and Ed Henry, have been accused of sexual misconduct over the years. Ailes, who built the network to a ratings powerhouse and political and cultural influencer, left in 2016 shortly after Gretchen Carlson, a former "Fox & Friends" co-host, sued him for sexual harassment. He died in 2017.
Ailes, who built Fox News into a ratings powerhouse, was ousted in 2016, shortly after former "Fox & Friends" co-host Gretchen Carlson sued him for sexual harassment. He died in 2017.
In addition to the fine, the settlement, which the commission says is the first of its kind against a major news network, forbids Fox from requiring mandatory arbitration over New York human-rights claims for four years. Fox and its parent company are based in New York.
The commission's announcement calls mandatory arbitration in such matters a "widely criticized practice that is often the most significant barrier to determining whether a workplace has a pervasive culture of sexual harassment and prevents victims from seeking relief" in court.
The settlement also requires Fox to institute a policy and complaint procedure for the reporting of discrimination and harassment complaints for at least two years, and to provide commission-approved harassment and bystander training.
In response to the fine, Fox News Media said: “We are pleased to reach an amicable resolution of this legacy matter. Fox News Media has already been in full compliance across the board, but cooperated with the New York City Commission on Human Rights to continue enacting extensive preventive measures against all forms of discrimination and harassment.”
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