The news network that recently fired Bill O’Reily, will now go through litigation, this time Fox lawsuit is a class action filed against the news network by 11 former and current employees, who alleges “abhorrent, intolerable, unlawful and hostile racial discrimination.”
Tichaona Brown and Tabrese Wright, two black women who worked in the Fox News payroll department, expanded the complaint filed at the end of March in the State Supreme Court in the Bronx.
The particulars in the fox lawsuit, contends that Judith Slater, the company’s longtime comptroller, engaged in racist behavior and made racist remarks and that senior executives ignored her actions. A third Fox News employee, Monica Douglas, joined the lawsuit earlier this month. Fox News fired Ms. Slater in February.
Another former Fox News employee, Adasa Blanco, filed a separate racial discrimination lawsuit on Tuesday against Fox News, Ms. Slater and Dianne Brandi, the top lawyer at Fox News, in federal court in the Southern District of New York.
The Fox lawsuits contend that Fox News employees repeatedly complained about racial discrimination to current network executives but that no action was taken and that the inappropriate behavior continued.
Lawyer for Ms. Slater, Catherine M. Foti, in a statement, called the lawsuits “meritless and frivolous.”
”All claims of racial discrimination against Ms. Slater are completely false,” she said.
In the class-action lawsuit — which names Ms. Slater, Ms. Brandi, Fox News and 21st Century Fox as defendants — the 11 current and former employees said that Ms. Brandi and Denise Collins, a human resources executive at Fox News, were aware of complaints about Ms. Slater’s racist behavior but told black employees that “nothing could be done because Slater knew too much about senior executives,” including Roger E. Ailes, the company’s former chief executive; Mark Kranz, the chief financial officer; and Mr. O’Reilly.
“When it comes to racial discrimination, 21st Century Fox has been operating as if it should be called 18th Century Fox,” the plaintiffs’ lawyers, Douglas H. Wigdor and Jeanne M. Christensen, said in a statement, referring to Fox News’s parent company. “We sincerely hope the filing of this race class action wakes 21st Century Fox from its slumbers and inspires the company to take a conciliatory and appropriate approach to remedy its wrongs.”
Kelly Wright, a current Fox News anchor and former co-host of “Fox & Friends Weekend.” He said Mr. O’Reilly refused to allow him on his show to discuss racial conciliation and instead suggested he should call Mr. Ailes and Bill Shine, one of the network’s presidents, and “offer to sing the national anthem at the Fox News Town Halls,” according to the suit. Wright alleges further that Mr. O’Reily said the segment would put the African Americans in a positive light. Mr Wright was sidelined and asked to perform the role of a ‘Jim Crow’ entertainer,the racist caricature of a black entertainer.
The Fox lawsuit also contends that Ms.Slater demanded that minority employees arm-wrestle white female supervisors for her own “entertainment and amusement.”
Julie Roginsky, an on-air contributor at Fox News, also filed a sexual harassment lawsuit this month against the network, Mr. Ailes and Mr. Shine. Ms. Roginsky said she had faced retaliation for refusing sexual advances from Mr. Ailes.
Also on Tuesday, Rupert Murdoch, the head of 21st Century Fox, sent a memo to Fox News employees extolling the network’s ratings from Monday night, its first night with its reconfigured prime-time lineup missing Mr. O’Reilly.
“I know the last few weeks have been tough for everyone here, but our passion for news and commitment to our viewers continue to lead us through,” Mr. Murdoch wrote in the memo, which was obtained by Business Insider. “Congratulations and thank you for all your hard work.”