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Thursday, August 25, 2016

Tantaros Attorney: Much More To Come

Judd Burstein, the New York lawyer representing Andrea Tantaros in her sexual harassment suit against Fox News and its top officials, tells the Erik Wemple Blog at The Washington Post there’s more to come.

"Monday’s lawsuit was only the beginning. In the next few weeks, I expect to complete my investigation and sue Fox and some of its executives on behalf of Ms. Tantaros based upon her right to seek damages as the victim of violations of certain federal criminal laws having nothing to do with sexual harassment, etc. The cloud of secrecy surrounding the 14th floor will be replaced by the sunlight of litigation."

Though Burstein didn’t provide additional details about his investigation, the reference to the “14th floor” is telling, writes Wemple.

 This month, New York magazine’s Gabriel Sherman wrote about a “Black Room” on that floor of the Fox News operation, established “around 2011 to conduct PR and surveillance campaigns against people” targeted by now-deposed Fox News chief Roger Ailes.

CNN reported on fears of Fox News employees that they were being monitored.



Tantaros’s complaint is a catch-all description of the host’s alleged troubles at Fox News, ranging from objectification by Ailes to a banishment aided by the Fox News PR department to contractual shenanigans.

Amid all the jaw-dropping claims is a false claim, that the blog TVNewser was “created and controlled” by Ailes. It was in fact launched by Brian Stelter of CNN, back when he was a college student at Towson University. And it says that a Fox News executive informed Tantaros that she wouldn’t be appearing on “The O’Reilly Factor” after she fielded come-ons from the the cable news star. However, Wemple wrote Tuesday, a look at Nexis transcripts indicates that Tantaros appeared on O’Reilly’s program almost until the time she disappeared from Fox News airwaves.

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