Armstrong Williams, who, as owner of Howard Stirk Holdings heads the largest black-owned TV station group in the U.S., is defending himself against sexual assault charges filed by a man who once worked for him.
Charlton Woodyard is suing Williams for sexual assault, battery and failure to pay wages. Woodyard worked as an unpaid assistant to Williams and eventually landed a job at one of Williams’ TV stations in Alabama. The two met in 2013.
The lawsuit accuses Williams of demanding that Woodyard get into his bed and give him a massage, and of groping him. Woodyard says he was demoted from his job in Alabama and was fired in April.
Williams’ HSH owns 7 TV stations including stations WSES and WGWW in Birmingham/Tuscaloosa/Aniston, AL.
Williams denies the allegations telling the New York Times “This is someone that I cared about, we were tight, we were buddies, we hung out. I’m single, I’m a bachelor, I’ve had these kinds of allegations before.
Williams, who settled a similar lawsuit in 1997, said Woodyard was terminated from his job. “He wants to get paid for doing nothing,” Williams said.
Williams, was a familiar face on TV earlier this year as an adviser to Ben Carson‘s presidential campaign. Williams had long been a fixture on cable news as well, speaking from a conservative perspective. He continues to appear on Sinclair stations, as he did just this morning on Baltimore’s WBFF.
Howard Stirk Holdings was formed in 2014, carved out of formerly Sinclair-owned stations.