Beleaguered Fox News faces another harassment suit

Filing decries ‘ Playboy Mansion- like cult’

Andrea Tantaros, a Fox News broadcaster, filed a sexual harassment lawsuit Monday against Fox News, former CEO Roger Ailes and other Fox executives.

It is another highly charged legal challenge for the conservative- leaning news network as it seeks to get past a turbulent management change triggered by a similar case.

“Fox News masquerades as defender of traditional family values, but behind the scenes, it operates like a sex- fueled, Playboy Mansion- like cult, steeped in intimidation, indecency and misogyny,” said her lawsuit, filed in New York Supreme Court in New York County.

The lawsuit, whose defendants include Fox News Co- President Bill Shine, communication chief Irena Briganti, general counsel Dianne Brandi and Suzanne Scott, executive vice president of programming and development, comes two weeks after Tantaros made her allegations in an article

in New York magazine. Fox News said it doesn’t comment on pending litigation. Ailes’ lawyer, Susan Estrich, couldn’t be reached.

In early July, former Fox News broadcaster Gretchen Carlson sued Ailes for alleged sexual harassment, claiming the 76- year- old executive decided not to renew her contract after she refused to sleep with him.

Ailes has denied the allegations. After an internal investigation by 21st Century Fox, the parent of Fox News, Ailes stepped down July 22 and left the company with a $ 40 million severance package.

Since Carlson’s lawsuit, other Fox News female employees have come forward with sexual harassment complaints or public support of Carlson.

Among them was Megyn Kelly, one of Fox News’ most heavily promoted prime- time anchors, who told Fox’s investigators she, too, had been sexually harassed by Ailes.

After Ailes left, Fox News overhauled its management by nam- ing Shine and Jack Abernethy, CEO of Fox Television Stations, as co- presidents, reporting directly to Rupert Murdoch, co- executive chairman of the board of 21st Century Fox.

In her lawsuit, Tantaros claims Ailes allegedly asked her for a hug and told her to “turn around, so I can get a good look at you.”

Ailes allegedly commented that Tantaros would “look good in a bikini.”

Tantaros, known for her vociferously conservative politics, says she complained “multiple” times to senior Fox executives.

Shine has said Tantaros never complained to him.

AP Andrea Tantaros