21st Century Fox settles Roger Ailes lawsuit for $20 million
The battle is over. The war for Roger Ailes is probably not over just yet.
The parent company of Fox News has settled a lawsuit against its former CEO Roger Ailes for $20 million, a stunning admission that the company does not want to fight the sexual harassment charges brought by former anchor Gretchen Carlson.
Even more surprising are reports that 21st Century Fox has issued a public apology to Carlson.
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The settlement, first reported by Vanity Fair, is a victory for Carlson that seemed almost impossible when reports first broke that she had filed a lawsuit against Ailes, who has for decades reigned as one of the most powerful figures in politics and media.
Now, Ailes is no longer at Fox News, and Carlson has been vindicated. In addition to Carlson, 21st Century Fox reportedly settled with two other women.
"We are proud that she was part of the Fox News team. We sincerely regret and apologize for the fact that Gretchen was not treated with the respect and dignity that she and all of our colleagues deserve," 21st Century Fox said in a press release.
Carlson said in the statement: "I am gratified that 21st Century Fox took decisive action after I filed my Complaint. I’m ready to move on to the next chapter of my life in which I will redouble my efforts to empower women in the workplace."
21st Century Fox was not technically named in the lawsuit, which was brought against Ailes alone. CNN's Brian Stelter reported that an undisclosed amount of the $20 million would come from Ailes himself. A lawyer for Ailes told various reporters that this report was inaccurate.
Ailes may be down and out, but he's not done. On Monday, the Financial Times reported that Ailes had hired a lawyer who could pursue journalist Gabriel Sherman, who has thoroughly reported on Ailes.
And it's not just any lawyer. Ailes has hired Charles Harder, the same lawyer who sued Gawker on behalf of Hulk Hogan -- thanks to backing from Facebook board member Peter Thiel.
Sarah Ellison, who initially reported the Ailes settlement, noted that the conclusion of his lawsuit with Carlson could free him up to pursue Sherman.
However, the case against Sherman would be very different than the case against Hogan. Whereas Hogan sued Gawker for a violation of privacy, it is believed that Ailes would be going after Sherman for libel -- a charge that Sherman made false and defamatory statements in his reporting.
Libel is far harder to prove, and would require Ailes to go through the "discovery" process of the trial, in which lawyers exchange information and can probe deep into the lives of those involved.
Many believe that Ailes would not want to go through this process at the risk of revealing details about his personal life.
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Even if Ailes does not end up filing a lawsuit against Sherman, he may still exert influence on the election. He has reportedly been advising Trump and helping prepare him for the upcoming presidential debates.
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Jason Abbruzzese is a Business Reporter at Mashable. He covers the media and telecom industries with a particular focus on how the Internet is changing these markets and impacting consumers. Prior to working at Mashable, Jason served as Markets Reporter and Web Producer at the Financial Times. Jason holds a B.S. in Journalism from Boston University and an M.A. in International Affairs from Australian National University.
