My brother worked at Fox for many years (technical, not on air or business), and when all this stuff hit we happened to be together with a cousin of ours who was a journalist, and they were talking about it, and both of them said that this didn’t surprise them at all, that the environment at Fox in certain areas was the equivalent of the old boom boom room mentality at trading firms, and that Aieles especially had that kind of reputation. I wouldn’t be surprised if you see more lawsuits like this and potentially even the EEOC getting involved, it was that widespread from what my brother and cousin were saying.
Sounds like quite a few women turned him down which explains to me why Cosby drugged women first. Sickening.
Except in this case it was two consenting adults. I have very little sympathy for Ms. Luhn. They deserved each other.
The situation with Luhn and Ailes is complicated, I don’t know if the several million she got as severance precludes her from suing (lawyers on here would have to comment on that). However, that doesn’t mean that what happened between Luhn and Ailes was consensual, if Luhn felt that she had to do all those things, procur young women, have sex with him, to maintain her job, or if he indicated if she did those things she would be promoted, they would constitute sexual harassment, if he made clear her position was conditional on doing those things, then it would fail in court from what I know of sexual harassment. Saying that she was ‘willing’ or ‘went after him’ might have some bearing on an award I would guess, but Ailes abused his position, if he was promoting her and protecting her because of what she was doing. It is why companies frown on superiors dating or having relationships with people they have influence over, it is just too easy to go over that line, and what Ailes did, if what the article said was true, wasn’t even close to the line. Put it this way, even if you argue she went after him, used him, he had all the power, he could have said no to hiring her, he could have gotten her a job in Fox then left it to whoever managed her, but he didn’t, he hired her, then proceeded to get things from her that were unethical and apprently there was both quid pro quo and fear of retaliation involved if she didn’t go along.
Yes, it is complicated @musicprnt but we don’t really have to guess what Laurie’s Luhn’s motives were, she tells us. That article was basically the result of 11 hours worth of interviews and it is her voice we hear throughout. I have to believe she was not represented by counsel at the time because of some of the incriminating statements she made. And the interview itself was a breach of a settlement agreement under which she received $3.15M.
According to her the dalliances with Ailes began years before she ever accepted a job at Fox. They lived in separate cities throughout the 20 year ordeal, even when Fox employed her. And when she accepted the position she says “she knew what was expected of her.” So why accept the position? Her answer to that is to refer to “stockholm syndrome” but also admits she saw it as a “career opportunity.” Well which is it? I believe the latter.
Look, if someone wants to prance around in front of the president of a major media company in a garter belt and stockings – fine by me, have at it. Two consenting adults can do anything they so choose as far as I am concerned. But where my brain comes to a screeching halt is when she starts to intermingle that with career advancement. And clearly in the article she does. She sees her relationship with Ailes as her route to advancement rather than her competency at her job. And that works for her for a very long time – and then he gets bored and it doesn’t. So she accepts over $3M and now claims sexual harassment? After she admits she sent other young women to him “knowing they would be sexually harrassed in his office?” Sorry, I do not think much of her.