Andrea Tantaros’ attorney confirmed to Variety magazine that the former Fox News personality has rejected a settlement offer from the cable-news network.
“The legal development threatens to fan the flames of a controversy that the network and its parent hope to extinguish,” Variety said Wednesday.
Former Fox news anchor Gretchen Carlson — whose sexual harassment accusations against Roger Ailes brought about the cable news titan’s dismissal from the network — settled her claim out of court Sept. 6 for $20 million.
Variety reports that Ms. Tantaros is seeking as much as $23 million, as well as $26 million in punitive damages and reimbursement of attorney fees. Ms. Tantaros’ attorney said the network tried to buy her “eternal silence” with an offer far millions shy of that.
“Fox News previously offered Ms. Tantaros seven figures to renounce her harassment claims against Ailes (and others) in exchange for her eternal silence,” lawyer Judd Burstein said in a statement, Variety reported. “She summarily refused their offer, and believes that any settlement must provide for the cleaning up of Fox News, a task that has regrettably fallen squarely on her shoulders.”
In a statement Wednesday, a Fox spokesman said “We stand by our earlier motion to compel arbitration.”
• Ken Shepherd can be reached at kshepherd@washingtontimes.com.
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