Fox News Comments on Lawsuit By Host Over Handling of Sexual Harassment Claim Against Tyrus

UPDATE: Fox News has issued a statement to 411mania about the lawsuit filed by Britt McHenry in regard to the company’s handling of her sexual harassment complaint against Tyrus:

“Ms. McHenry’s lawsuit recycles the same allegations she 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.”

ORIGINAL: The sexual harassment claims made against Tyrus earlier this year have resulted in a lawsuit against Fox News. THR reports that Britt McHenry has filed suit against the news channel, alleging that they refused to investigate some of her claims against Tyrus and then retaliated against her.

The allegations initially came to light in June when it was reported that Tyrus, a former WWE and Impact Wrestling roster member, was the subject of a complaint filed by McHenry with Fox News management. The complaint alleged that Tyrus sent her unwanted and unsolicited lewd and sexually-oriented text messages on several occasions. Tyrus was removed from Un-PC, the Fox Nation streaming show which he co-hosted with McHenry, and given a new show NUFFSAID.

According to the lawsuit, McHenry claims that Fox News responded by her complaint by “refusing to investigate some of her claims, shunning her, shutting her out of company events, and refusing to allow her on Fox News Channel shows. … When Ms. McHenry complained to Fox News Human Resources and management, Fox News asked what Ms. McHenry did to provoke her harasser.” The lawsuit was filed in the Southern District of New York by McHenry’s attorney, Lisa Bloom. McHenry is seeking a jury trial.

Fox News previously issued a statement that said the complaint “was independently investigated and we consider the matter resolved.”

McHenry says that “As a result of her treatment by Defendants, Ms. McHenry has suffered humiliation, emotional anguish, derailment of her career, and significant loss of economic opportunities.” Fox News was previously subject to a headline-grabbing lawsuit when former anchor Gretchen Carlson sued them in 2016 over allegations of sexual harassment at the hands of Roger Ailes, which resulted in a $20 million settlement. Bill O’Reilly was fired from the network in 2017 after reports broke that he had paid millions of dollars in settlements of six sexual harassment lawsuits.