U.S. prosecutors have subpoenaed one of the women who claims she was sexually harassed by former Fox News chairman, Roger Ailes, and compelled her to testify before a federal grand jury.
New York City lawyer, Judd Burstein said his client had received the subpoena on Monday from the securities fraud unit of the U.S. Attorney’s office in Manhattan. The subpoena compelled the client’s testimony before a federal grand jury, Burstein said.
Fox has been in communication with the U.S. Attorney’s office for months and will continue to cooperate on all inquiries with any interested authorities, the spokeswoman said.
An attorney for Ailes did not respond to a request for comment. Ailes has previously denied allegations of harassment.
Burstein said prosecutors told him the investigation focuses on alleged sexual harassment at Fox, but declined to elaborate further. He also declined to identify the client who received the subpoena.
It was not clear how the investigation could be tied to securities fraud. Federal securities law requires companies to report legal settlements, including in sexual harassment cases, to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Ailes resigned last year after former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson, filed a lawsuit against him claiming she was harassed and had her contract canceled when she rebuffed Ailes’ advances. The network agreed to pay US$20 million to settle the case on behalf of Ailes, who denied the allegation.
– Reuters
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