Fox News Media reported it has parted ways with authorized analyst Andrew Napolitano, adhering to an associate producer’s assert of sexual harassment.
The staff, John Fawcett, who performs on Fox Business Network’s Kudlow, submitted a lawsuit Monday in New York Supreme Court (read it right here) against the network, outlining his claims versus Napolitano.
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Fawcett also alleged that Larry Kudlow, the host of the display, has used ethnic slurs and built sexually inappropriate responses about girls “in front of various staffers,” such as himself and a senior vice president. He also claimed that Kudlow nixed the visual appearance of Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) on the display since of his race.
In a assertion Fox News Media explained: “Upon 1st finding out of John Fawcett’s allegations versus Choose Andrew Napolitano, Fox Information Media promptly investigated the claims and dealt with the matter with both functions. The community and Judge Napolitano have given that parted methods. We acquire all allegations of misconduct critically, are dedicated to providing a harmless, transparent and collaborative workplace setting for all our staff members and took fast, correct motion.
“Furthermore, the more allegations laid out in this assert are completely baseless and almost nothing additional than a determined endeavor at a payday by attempting the scenario in the court docket of public view as the complaint does not meet the requirements of the law. We will protect the issue vigorously in courtroom.”
Napolitano and his attorney, Tom Clare, did not promptly return a ask for for remark.
In the lawsuit, Fawcett, 27, claimed that when he commenced operating at Fox Business in 2019 as an entry-stage generation assistant performing for Lou Dobbs’ present, he encountered Napolitano on an elevator at the Fox Information headquarters. He alleged that Napolitano manufactured sexually suggestive comments and stroked his arm.
Just after acquiring off the elevator, in accordance to Fawcett’s lawsuit, he advised colleagues about the experience and “they instantly commenced laughing. “It was prevalent understanding that Choose Napolitano sexually harassed youthful males at Fox Information, and it even happened to a single of the plaintiff’s co-staff,” the lawsuit claimed. Fawcett did not originally report the incident to human sources due to the fact he did not want to jeopardize his occupation at the network, but he did explain to Dobbs. In accordance to the lawsuit, Dobbs relayed the criticism to Kevin Lord, the govt vice president and main human means officer at Fox Corp. Fawcett claimed that Lord then fulfilled with him and questioned about the incident but was dismissive of it.
Napolitano was the matter of individual promises of sexual misconduct very last yr, one particular in a lawsuit filed by a criminal defendant who claimed that Napolitano, when he was even now a doing the job choose, made available him a a lot more lenient sentence in trade for oral sex. A different was from a New Jersey waiter who claimed sexual assault.
At the time, Clare issued a statement denying the promises as “total fiction.”
Fawcett claimed that Fox Information “did not hold Decide Napolitano (or a homosexual male plan host) to the identical requirements as other workforce, ironically due to the fact the corporation wanted to counter statements that the community was intolerant or as well conservative.”
His allegations about Kudlow incorporate a assert that in a cell phone conference with employees, the host stated that he would like to have a “three-way” with Sandra Smith, the Fox Information anchor. On the connect with, according to the lawsuit, was Gary Schreier, SVP Programming for Fox Small business, “but he did not reprimand Mr. Kudlow or indicate that the remark was inappropriate.” The lawsuit claimed that in yet another cellular phone convention to communicate about an look by Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, Kudlow requested, “Why never we just allow the Mexicans in?” “He then stated that ‘we’ need additional ‘jalapeno pickers,’” in accordance the Fawcett’s claim, which extra that Schreier was on that contact as nicely.
In accordance to the lawsuit, in an additional phone conference to discuss about Donalds’ appearance, Kudlow objected to the scheduled booking and allegedly said: “No. no. no. I do not want the black on the present.”
Fawcett claimed that Stephanie Freeman, government producer of Kudlow’s demonstrate, and Jenna Strem, senior producer, discriminated versus male staff members on the exhibit and tried to get them fired by generating false accusations towards them.
Fawcett cited New York State Human Rights Regulation in his lawsuit, alleging that his supervisors discriminated in opposition to him on the foundation of his gender. He is seeking unspecified damages.
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