In a lawsuit filed in federal court in
Manhattan against Twenty-First Century Fox Inc, the parent of
Fox News, Hughes said Payne raped her in a New York City hotel
room in 2013 and pressured her into a continuing sexual
relationship in exchange for frequent guest spots on Fox shows.
Hughes said that when she ended the affair and later reported
the alleged assault to lawyers for Fox, the network blacklisted
her from its shows and leaked information about her to the
media.
Jonathan Halpern, a lawyer for Payne, said the claims were
baseless and that Payne denies wrongdoing. Payne, the host of
"Making Money" on Fox Business Network, earlier this month
returned from a two-month suspension over the allegations.
"We are confident that when the evidence is presented in this
case, Mr. Payne will be fully vindicated and these outrageous
accusations against him will be confirmed as completely false,"
Halpern said.
In a separate statement, a Fox News spokesperson denied Hughes'
claims and called the lawsuit a "publicity stunt" and "downright
shameful."
Fox News has been rocked by a series of sexual harassment claims
since last year, which have led to the resignation of former
Chief Executive Roger Ailes and the departure of Bill O'Reilly,
formerly the network's top anchor.
Hughes' lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, has filed several sex and race
discrimination lawsuits on behalf of current and former Fox
employees and contributors.
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In her lawsuit, Hughes said that after the alleged rape, invitations
for her to appear on Fox shows increased dramatically. When Payne
was given his own show in 2014, Hughes appeared four nights per
week, according to the lawsuit.
Hughes said she ended her relationship with Payne in 2015 and was
invited to appear on Fox only a few times over the next 10 months.
In June, Hughes reported the alleged rape to lawyers hired by Fox to
probe sexual harassment allegations, according to the lawsuit.
Hughes said that in response, Fox told news reporters that she and
Payne were having an affair and leaked personal emails they had sent
to each other.
Hughes is suing Fox News for sex discrimination, retaliation, and
defamation in violation of New York City and state laws. She is also
suing Payne for gender-motivated violence under city law.
The case is Hughes v. Twenty-First Century Fox Inc, U.S. District
Court for the Southern District of New York, No. 1:17-cv-07093.
(Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Editing by Bill
Rigby)
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