The law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison will investigate at least one accusation of sexual harassment against Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, according to the New York Times.
The move is in response to a Times story published on April 2nd about settlements with five women who complained of harassment perpetrated by O’Reilly over the years.
“21st Century Fox investigates all complaints and we have asked the law firm Paul Weiss to continue assisting the company in these serious matters,” the company said in a statement.
Paul Weiss is the same firm 21st Century Fox used to conduct the internal investigation into the actions of former Fox News chairman Roger Ailes. 21st Century Fox execs pushed Ailes to resign last year after lawyers from the firm took statements from a number of women who described harassing behavior by him.
Dr. Wendy Walsh, a former guest on The O’Reilly Factor, called the company’s anonymous hotline last week, which officially prompted the investigation. Walsh was a former guest on The O’Reilly Factor who alleged that the host withdrew his offer to make her a contributor after she refused to go back to his hotel room after dinner back in 2013.
Lisa Bloom, the attorney for Dr. Walsh who specializes in “victims rights,” appeared on CNN’s Reliable Sources this past weekend to speak about her client’s claim and confirmed that 21st Century is investigating it.
“On Friday, we received a return phone call from a couple of attorneys who represent Fox News and they said that they are indeed going to do an investigation based on Wendy’s complaint,” Bloom told CNN Reliable Sources host Brian Stelter. ” I told them we really appreciate that and let’s get going as soon as possible. And so, I am told that they are taking it seriously and they are going to do the investigation that’s legally required of them.”