In July 2016 Gretchen Carlson sued Roger Ailes, former chairman and president of Fox News, charging him with sexual harassment and implicating the network in a pattern of abuse. She prevailed in her suit, with Fox reportedly settling for a significant amount. Ailes denied allegations until his death in 2017. Since Carlson’s filing, numerous other women accused Ailes and others at Fox of misconduct and have brought suits against Fox. Carlson was perhaps the most famous woman who challenged a powerful harasser and won, and her story was featured in two adaptations that have made it to television and movie screens this year. This summer Naomi Watts played Carlson in the Showtime series The Loudest Voice. In December, Nicole Kidman portrayed her in Bombshell. Because of a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), Carlson was unable to participate in either project and has been unable to speak publicly about her experience. Her initiative, Lift Our Voices, undertaken with former Fox political commentator Julie Roginsky and former Foxnews.com host and reporter Diana Falzone, will address a number of issues related to workplace harassment, including forced arbitration and the misuse of NDA’s that effectively silence the victims of harassment. Golenbock Eiseman Assor Bell & Peskoe is proud to have co-represented Ms. Carlson, Ms. Roginsky and Ms. Falzone in their suits against Ailes (Carlson) and Fox News (Roginsky and Falzone) and to serve as legal advisor to their current initiative, “Lift our Voices.” The website for Lift Our Voices can be found here.
Gretchen Carlson, Diana Falzone and Julie Roginsky form “Lift our Voices” to Address Harassment in the Workplace and Inappropriate Use of NDAs
