Fox Business host Charles Payne is being sued for gender-motivated violence just weeks after being reinstated following a sexual harassment investigation. The Making Money host was suspended in July following a complaint by an unnamed woman. Scottie Nell Hughes, a political commentator who regularly appeared on the network, has come forward as the source of the harassment report in a lawsuit filed Monday in New York federal court. (THR / THR, Esq.)
Upon Payne’s return to the air, Fox News said that it had completed the investigation, which began after Hughes took her allegations to the network in late June. Hughes claims she had been raped by Payne and was then retaliated against by the network after she came forward with her allegation. (NYT)
The lawsuit filed Monday is levied at 21st Century Fox; Fox News Network LLC; Payne; Dianne Brandi, the executive vice president of legal and business affairs at Fox News; and Irena Briganti, the network’s executive vice president of corporate communications. (HuffPost)
In the filing, Hughes alleges Payne sexually assaulted and raped her in July 2013, then increased invitations to her to appear on his Fox Business program. The suit suggested Fox News might cite emails that describe a consensual relationship, but then alleged any link between the two was the result of Payne using “his position of power to pressure Ms. Hughes into submission.” (Variety)