Roger Ailes’s Estate Under Pressure

Roger Ailes, former Fox News chairman, died this past Thursday. While this is certainly a tragedy for his family, the tumultuous times for his estate will not end soon. Two former Fox News hosts, Andrea Tantaros and Julie Roginsky, have lawsuits pending against his estate. According to Debra S. Katz, an employment and civil rights attorney, the lawsuits will continue to move forward. She believes that Ailes’s estate will now be more likely to seek quick closure of the suits as Ailes is no longer able to defend himself in court. 

Tantaros’s lawsuit alleges that Ailes made repeated, inappropriate sexual comments to her involving speculation regarding sexual contact between other employees at the station. Roginsky alleges that Ailes made explicit comments about her dating and sex life and would insist that she give him a kiss while sitting so that she would have to bend down. Both women claim their refusals of Ailes’s advances negatively impacted their careers at Fox.

Prior to his death, Ailes denied all wrongdoing and dismissed the complaints as unfounded. The fact that Ailes is unable to personally refute the women’s claims may hint that his estate will be much more willing to settle the lawsuits as quickly as possible.

See Lisa Ryan, What Will Happen to the Sexual-Harassment Lawsuits Against Roger Ailes?, The Cut, May 18, 2017.

Special thanks to Joel Dobris (Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law) for bringing this article to my attention.