Fox News calls Tantaros an ‘opportunist’ in lawsuit response

Her suit states in part: “Fox News masquerades as defender of traditional family values, but behind the scenes, it operates like a sex-fueled, Playboy Mansion-like cult, steeped in intimidation, indecency, and misogyny”.

The network on Monday denied the claims, saying Tantaros was taking advantage of the publicity surrounding a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against Ailes in July by former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson that led to the chairman’s resignation.

Tantaros last week sued the network, its ousted chairman and other top executives, claiming they retaliated after she detailed unwanted sexual advances made by her onetime boss, Roger Ailes.

Tantaros’s lawyers have accused Fox News of using the book as an excuse for her termination.

In its first court filing in response to Andrea Tantaros’ lawsuit alleging sexual harassment by former CEO Roger Ailes, Fox News characterizes Tantaros as “an opportunist” and “wannabe” and asked the court to push the case into closed-door arbitration.

“S$3 he claims now that she too was victimized by Roger Ailes, when, in fact, contrary to her pleading, she never complained of any such conduct in the course of an investigation months ago”.

Before Fox News filed its suit on Monday, Tantaros’s lawyer sent out a document to reporters challenging Ailes and other Fox News executives to take lie-detector tests.

Questions for host Bill O’Reilly and network PR flack Irena Briganti hint that Tantaros and another employee had a “physical altercation”.

According to the filing, “Fox News has already investigated all of these accusations and found no evidence to support them”. Longtime host and correspondent Geraldo Rivera, echoing the views of colleagues, said her lawsuit is “not [a] honest legal document”, it is a “vindictive screed created to damage reputations and hurt feelings”. The network’s parent company instigated an internal review after Carlson’s allegations were made, which is believed to be ongoing, and the Fox News attorneys alleged Tantaros’ attorney did not respond to a query from its law firm, Paul, Weiss.

The overarching point of the motion is that Tantaros’s contract steers any complaints against Fox toward arbitration, not a courtroom.

An attorney for Tantaros, Judd Burstein, said he believed his client would prevail in her efforts to have the case presented in court. “This Court should compel Tantaros to proceed in the arbitration proceeding that is already underway”. “It does not appear that Tantaros had any interest in answering the questions that she had left unanswered during her interview”, states Fox’ papers.

Her lawyer had no immediate response to the motion compelling arbitration on Monday.