Britt McHenry accuses former co-host Tyrus of sexual harassment, sues Fox News for not addressing her complaint
A host on Fox Nation, Britt McHenry has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit on Tuesday against the network and one of its on-air guests, George "Tyrus" Murdoch.
The lawsuit, filed in Southern District of New York, claimed Fox News had allegedly retaliated against McHenry after she accused Tyrus of sexual harassment. The lawsuit also claimed that the probes conducted by external law firms on behalf of the network were "sham investigations".
McHenry released a statement provided by her attorney Lisa Bloom's firm and said, "The last thing I wanted to do was file this lawsuit. But I had to stand up for what's right for myself and for women." In separate statements, Fox News defended its actions while Tyrus had denied the allegations against him.
McHenry's lawsuit is seeking monetary compensation and had alleged that Tyrus had displayed "volatile and unpredictable behavior" while at work and had started to send her several sexually suggestive text messages last year in October. According to the lawsuit, one of the text messages read, "I love ponytails and braids you look amazing and it's a real turn-on not that you care but I love it."
Another text read, "The picture looks so good I would knock up the picture .... crazy sexy love your legs." In the lawsuit, McHenry had also alleged that Tyrus had also sexually harassed her in person. The lawsuit contended Fox News retaliated against McHenry after she reported Tyrus' conduct and misbehavior.
She had reported Tyrus to Fox News and in October filed a complaint with the New York State Division of Human Rights. In a Tuesday statement, a Fox News spokesperson shared that McHenry's lawsuit "recycles the same allegations filed with the New York State Division of Human Rights in October, to which we filed a response on Friday."
"As we have previously stated, Ms McHenry's allegations have been fully investigated and we are confident our actions will be deemed entirely appropriate in litigation. We expect all of her claims to be dismissed," the spokesperson revealed.