REID COLLINS' HISTORIC EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION AND SEXUAL ABUSE LAWSUIT AGAINST FOX NEWS MOVES FORWARD; COURT SUSTAINS COMPLAINT UNDER NEW YORK "ADULT SURVIVORS ACT"

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Aug 15, 2023, 16:39 ET

Representing former Fox News employee and workplace sexual abuse survivor Laura Luhn, national trial firm Reid Collins & Tsai LLP has defeated Defendants' motions to dismiss her sex abuse and discrimination lawsuit.
Luhn is victim of decades-long manipulation and sexual and psychological abuse by former Fox News Chief Roger Ailes, enabled by the network and its former executive, Bill Shine.
Claims in the case, based in part on 2022 New York laws protecting survivors of abuse, can now move forward.

NEW YORK, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday, the Honorable Lyle Frank of New York Supreme Court denied the Defendants' Motions to Dismiss in a groundbreaking employment discrimination and sexual abuse complaint against the Fox News Network, LLC, Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc., and former Fox News Co-President Bill Shine. The action, filed by leading national trial boutique Reid Collins & Tsai LLP ("Reid Collins") on behalf of former Fox News employee Laura Luhn, was brought under the 2022 New York State Adult Survivors Act ("ASA") and related New York City statutes. It alleges a decades-long campaign of discrimination, manipulation, threats, and sexual assaults by former Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes. The pervasive sexual abuse at Fox News has been the subject of multiple films, exposés, and news coverage.

Judge Frank found that a settlement agreement with Fox that Luhn signed previously may not be enforceable because she may have signed the deal under duress:

"Plaintiff's complaint is replete with factual allegations regarding duress and her inability to report the alleged sexual abuse and misconduct while it was occurring," states the order. "At this stage of the litigation, the duress that is alleged to have occurred prior to the negotiation of the agreement between the parties is enough for this case to not be dismissed."

Likewise, the Court declined to dismiss claims against Bill Shine, finding that:

"[T]here are certainly a myriad of allegations that he was aware of the conduct, did nothing to stop it, and helped cover up the abuse and was involved in the duress that allegedly made the plaintiff sign the release in question."

Reid Collins partner Barbara Whiten Balliette, counsel for Ms. Luhn, emphasized the firm's commitment to vindicating her saying: "The abuse and assaults that Ms. Luhn suffered were some of the worst imaginable. People knew, but no one at Fox News stepped in to stop it. Ultimately, her career and her life were destroyed. The Adult Survivors Act was created to redress wrongs exactly like these. We are gratified that the Court sees the need for this case to be properly adjudicated and has denied Defendants' dismissal motions."

The case, captioned Laura W. Luhn v. Fox News Network, LLC, Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. & William Shine, Index No. 950003/2023 (N.Y. Sup. Ct.), has received extensive coverage in the major media.

To view the Court's August 14, 2023 decision denying Defendants' motions to dismiss, click here.

To view the complaint, click here.

About Reid Collins

Reid Collins & Tsai LLP is one of the nation's leading plaintiffs' trial firms, litigating complex business disputes and achieving billions of dollars in settlements and judgments for its clients. Its team is comprised of accomplished trial lawyers who have extensive experience prosecuting financial fraud, corporate wrongdoing, employment and partnership disputes, bankruptcy and insolvency related litigation, professional liability claims, and cross-border disputes. The firm represents fund managers, investor groups, trustees, receivers, liquidators, international banks, companies, governmental entities, and individuals in federal and state courts across the country.

For more information visit www.reidcollins.com

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SOURCE Reid Collins & Tsai LLP