Fox News has reportedly paid $2.5 million to a former contributor who charged that she was sexually assaulted by a network executive.
The New York Times says Tamara Holder claims that Fox News Latino VP Francisco Cortes tried to force her into a sex act. The newspaper says the executive was dismissed.
Fox News was embroiled in a number of sexual harassment cases last year. The situation led to Fox News chairman Roger Ailes being forced out and the payment of settlements of more than $30 million to former employees, including former anchor Gretchen Carlson.
In a joint statement, Fox News and Holder said: “In September 2016 Fox News contributor Tamara Holder reported an incident of sexual assault at Fox News headquarters from the prior year. Immediately after Ms. Holder notified Fox News of the alleged incident, the Company promptly investigated the matter and took decisive action, for which Ms. Holder thanks the network.”
“Following the completion of her contract on January 1, 2017, Ms. Holder left the network. Fox News is grateful to Ms. Holder for her many contributions during her tenure at the network and wishes her continued success,” the Fox statement said.
Carlson’s lawsuit against Ailes last year led parent company 21st Century Fox to order an investigation by an outside law firm to look at sexual harassment allegations against the network and its top executives.
Ailes left but has denied any wrong doing.
Among the Fox News staffers reportedly saying they’d been harassed was primetime anchor Megyn Kelly. Kelly left Fox News and will join NBC News.
