More Women Accuse Roger Ailes of Sexual Harassment

After former Fox News co-host Gretchen Carlson announced last week that she is filing suit against the company’s chairman Roger Ailes for sexual harassment, six additional women have now come forward with similar allegations.

New Accusers Step Forward

In perhaps the most surprising of all of her allegations relating to Ailes, Carlson said that he suggested that the two should have been engaging in a sexual relationship for some time, and claimed that such a situation would help resolve problems Carlson was having with her co-worker. According to Carlson’s attorney, Nancy Erika Smith, the new accusers’ alleged experiences with Ailes are similar to those reported by Carlson.

Only a couple of the six new accusers have come forward to be identified publicly. One who came forward is Kelly Boyle, who was 29 years old in 1989 when she met Ailes while seeking possible employment. She alleges that Ailes informed her that if she wanted to play with the big boys she needed to be ready to lay with the big boys. When detailing her own allegations, Boyle related that “being cooperative” with Ailes was often a requirement for career advancement under his reign.

Similarities between Allegations

Boyle’s allegations square with a report detailed by Ailes’ biographer, which said that in the 1980s Ailes offered a TV producer $100 in additional compensation if she agreed to make herself sexually available to him at his leisure. It also is in keeping with the allegations made by the other recent public accuser, Marsha Callahan, who says that Ailes instructed her to lift up her skirt in a job interview, in order to see a garter he had instructed her to wear. She also claims that Ailes tied her being sexually available to him to her career opportunities under his management.

Ailes Looks to Take the High Ground

Despite his denials of Gretchen Carlson’s allegations, on Friday Ailes’ attorneys requested to have the case moved to arbitration, citing an arbitration clause in her contract. Arbitration is generally seen as being more favorable terrain for defendants in many kinds of legal proceedings and prevents witnesses from being called in court and making damaging public allegations against the accused.

What Is Sexual Harassment?

It is important for everyone who works with other people to know just which actions entail workplace sexual harassment. Under the guidelines relating to sexual harassment produced by the Unites States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), sexual harassment in the workplace can include: