Ex-Fox News host Ed Henry accused of sexually assaulting another female colleague

Journalist Ed Hendrikthe ousted host of Fox News accused of rape in 2020is facing additional allegations of sexual misconduct.

Jennifer Eckhart, a former associate producer at Fox Business whose allegations against Eckhart resulted in his firing in July 2020, filed a new motion last week in her ongoing legal battle with the news network. Henry has denied Eckhart’s claims of assault, arguing the sexual encounter was consensual.

In Eckhart’s motion Monday, her attorney Michael J. Willemin alleges that Henry sexually assaulted another female colleague during his time at the news network. Willemin also claims that Fox News was informed of Henry’s alleged behavior by several employees at the time.

“Fox News said it did not become aware of the new assault allegation until this lawsuit and that no employee had warned managers that Henry engaged in sexual harassment while at Fox,” the network said in a statement Wednesday to USA TODAY.

Fox News requested summary judgment in the case in September — a ruling that would waive a trial — claiming they immediately responded to Eckhart’s allegations by suspending Henry and launching an investigation.

In its statement, Fox News said Eckhart and her attorneys are “desperately trying to salvage their case,” adding that the network was “not aware of any relationship between Ms. Eckhart and Mr. Henry or of any allegations of unwanted sexual activity by Mr. Henry until after she left the company.”

“Fox News’ efforts to bury its head in the sand will not be rewarded. After years of failing to protect its female employees from sexual harassment and attackers, we look forward to holding Fox News accountable for the harm Ms. Eckhart has suffered. before a jury of her peers,” Willemin said in a statement emailed to USA TODAY on Wednesday.

Background: Ed Henry accused of rape in a civil suit also against Fox News, Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson

Lawyer: Fox News knew Ed Henry ‘posed a risk to female colleagues’

In the most recent filing, Willemin accused Fox of failing to investigate allegations of sexual assault. “None of these allegations have ever been investigated in any meaningful way.”

In an earlier memo, Willemin responded to Fox’s attempt to avoid a trial by saying that Henry wants the court to “decide disputed questions of fact that should be assigned to a jury.”

Past incidents cited in the new filing include Henry’s alleged affair with a Las Vegas stripper in May 2016 and subsequent treatment for sex addiction; using a Fox News-issued device to engage in a “sexting incident”; and engaging in an inappropriate “sexual relationship” with another unnamed colleague.

Fox News “knew that he posed a risk to his female colleagues, staff and subordinates,” the filing reads, with Willemin noting that Henry was suspended after the 2016 affair.

But the network “welcomed him back with open arms, rewarded him by dramatically extending his contract, increasing his pay… promoting him to a coveted anchor role, and continuing to facilitate and turn a blind eye to his actions , effectively condoning his behavior. , as the red flags, complaints and warning signs piled up,” Willemin said in the filing.

Eckhart’s latest complaint includes an allegation that Henry sexually assaulted another Fox News employee shortly after returning to the network around 2017. The unnamed female employee provided sworn testimony about the alleged assault as part of Eckhart’s case.

“Fox News’ treatment of Mr. Henry after his return to the network only emboldened him as he escalated his abuse of women by not only raping Ms. Eckhart, but also sexually assaulting another Fox News colleague,” Willemin argued.

Fox pointed to another recent statement from Eckhart that she told no one at Fox about her encounters with Henry until she was fired in 2020 and that Henry had made an effort to keep the relationship hidden from the network.

In a phone call with USA TODAY, Willemin said that while it is true that Eckhart did not specifically say Henry’s name, she did bring up a toxic work culture in an interview with HR but was immediately shut down.

Eckhart’s counsel also argued in a brief letter: “Ms. Eckhart was concerned that any disclosure on her part would trickle back to Mr. Henry, who had power and influence at Fox News and could fire her.”

Ed Henry has filed a lawsuit alleging rape after being fired from Fox News

Henry, who co-anchored “America’s Newsroom,” was fired from Fox News after the news network said it received a complaint on June 25, 2020, from a former employee’s attorney alleging “intentional sexual misconduct in the workplace years ago ‘.

The following month, Eckhart and guest news analyst Cathy Areu filed a lawsuit against Henry alleging a litany of sexual misconduct ranging from sexual harassment to forced oral sex. The complaint also revealed that Eckhart was the anonymous accuser whose accusations against Henry led to his firing by Fox.

Eckhart said in the lawsuit that Henry raped her and “left her injured, bruised and with bloody wrists” in a New York hotel room “sometime in 2017” and that Fox executives were informed “in explicit and specific detail” about her claim.

Ed Henry is taking legal action: Fired Fox News host sues NPR and CNN correspondents for defamation

The lawsuit also alleged that Fox executives knew Henry had been accused of sexual misconduct long before Eckhart’s initial complaint. “Mr. Henry was not fired after Fox News learned of these complaints. After information and belief, he was not even disciplined,” the filing said.

Henry refuted Eckhart’s claims of sexual abuse at the time in a statement to USA TODAY, released through his attorney Catherine Foti. The TV journalist claimed that Eckhart “initiated and fully encouraged a consensual relationship.”

“The #MeToo movement has helped expose a number of injustices in our society, and everyone who has suffered deserves to be heard,” the statement said. “This is not one of those cases.”

Contributing: Maria Puente, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ed Henry lawsuit: Fox News alum charged with additional sexual assault