Sexual Harassment Lawsuits and Workplace Misconduct: In just Nine Months, 21st Century Fox Spends $45 Million Due to Harassment Allegations
A July 3, 2017 New York Times article discusses 21st Century Fox’s recent legal battles due to harassment allegations against their employees. Although the specific allegations are not reported, the article states that one of Fox Sports’ top executives, Jaime Horowitz, was recently fired after a sexual harassment investigation. Last July, Gretchen Carlson, a Fox News anchor, filed suit against Roger Ailes, the former chairman of Fox News. An investigation prompted by the lawsuit led to at least six other woman accusing Ailes of sexual harassment, all of which 21st Century Fox reached settlements with. After the Ailes scandal, Tamara Holder, a former Fox News contributor, reported that she had been sexually assaulted by an executive at Fox News. Then, Bill O’Reilly, political broadcaster and commentator, was accused of sexual harassment or other inappropriate behavior. As you can see, sexual harassment allegations may, unfortunately, occur more frequently than you think.
West Palm Beach attorneys know that, in Florida, employees are protected against sexual harassment in the workplace. Florida litigation lawyers fight for employees who have been wrongfully taken advantage of, discriminated against, and/or mistreated. Companies like 21st Century Fox, unfortunately, find themselves liable for the misconduct of their employees. The Florida Civil Rights Act is one of the protections that Florida law provides. Florida Statute 760.01 states the following:
“The general purposes of the Florida Civil Rights Act of 1992 are to secure for all individuals within the state freedom from discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, handicap, or marital status and thereby to protect their interest in personal dignity, to make available to the state their full productive capacities, to secure the state against domestic strife and unrest, to preserve the public safety, health, and general welfare, and to promote the interests, rights, and privileges of individuals within the state.”