Our readers may remember a recent post here that addressed some of the ongoing sexual harassment issues that media giant Fox News is experiencing, primarily involving former employee Bill O’Reilly. But, it appears that O’Reilly isn’t the only person who worked at the news network that may have been involved in this type of illegal employment discrimination. According to a recent report, three women are suing the network itself for illegal discrimination.
In addition to sexual discrimination, two of the women are also alleging race discrimination occurred at Fox News. With these three women joining currently pending discrimination litigation against the network, there is a total now of 26 employees and former employees who have filed lawsuits against Fox News.
At present, with litigation just getting started and still pending, Fox News is taking the public stance that the claims are without merit and that the network will defeat them in the courtroom. That is a common stance for employers who face claims of discrimination. However, previous reports have already noted that Fox News has settled lawsuits that alleged sexual harassment before.
The employees of Fox News, like many employees throughout the country and in Minnesota, have employee rights under state and federal laws. Those rights include the right to work in an environment that is free from discrimination of any kind. Employees in both the private and public sectors should make sure that they are doing their best to hold employers accountable when they violate employment law by engaging in discrimination. Any employee who thinks that they are a victim of employment discrimination should contact an attorney to better understand their rights.
Source: Forbes, “Fox News Sued For Racial Discrimination, Sexual Harassment By Three More Employees,” Brett Edkins, May 22, 2017