Last month, Fox News employee, Gretchen Carlson, filed a sexual harassment suit against former Fox News CEO, Roger Ailes, in the New Jersey State Court. For decades, Roger Ailes has long been a powerful person at Fox News and this case was not taken lightly by the Fox Network. Fox engaged an outside law firm to conduct a thorough and unbiased investigation which consisted of interviewing scores of current and former Fox female employees, several of whom complained of alleged sexual harassment by Roger Ailes. In the end, Roger Ailes reportedly was forced to resign with a reputed $40 million severance package.
Sexual harassment is an all too frequent occurrence in the workplace and is not only harmful to the happiness and well-being of employees, but legally costly to employers. The situation becomes even more detrimental for the employer when a high-profile person is charged with sexual harassment. In Fox News’ case, it handled the situation as proactively as it could under difficult circumstances – including initiating a third party investigation as quickly as possible. To learn more about how Fox News handled this charge and what the repercussions are, listen to this week’s Telebrief here.
Also in this week’s Labor and Employment Telebrief: how to prevent violence in the workplace, the legal consequences of using a staffing agency to obtain employees, and the legal issues in connection with the use of interns.
ABOUT THE TELEBRIEFS
Geared to executives with employee relations responsibilities (HR directors, supervisors, managers, business owners), Labor and Employment Telebriefs® are information-packed 30-minute briefings via the telephone. Telebriefs® provide information and insights to help executives stay current with latest workplace law developments and in front of trends so as to enable proactive policy making and management. On the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month, from 9 – 9:30 am ET, join Offit Kurman Labor & Employment Chair Howard Kurman, as he discusses developments occurring over the past two weeks that will most significantly impact employers nationwide. The focus is squarely on the practical. Why is this event significant for employers? What are the lessons to be learned or actions taken? These twice-monthly teleconferences are an easy way to stay current and compliant with the latest Labor and Employment law developments that will significantly affect you and your company. Our guarantee: You will learn something useful, on every call! If you have any questions regarding labor and employment issues, please contact
Howard Kurman: hkurman@offitkurman.com | 410.209.6417
ABOUT HOWARD KURMAN
Howard K. Kurman is an employment attorney. Mr. Kurman regularly counsels clients on all aspects of proactive employment/labor issues. He represents employers ranging in size from as small as 20 employees to those employers with geographically disparate locations consisting of over 4,000 employees. Mr. Kurman assures, through regular contact with his clients, that they promulgate and maintain the most effective employment policies that will, to the extent possible, minimize their legal exposure in today’s litigious workplace. Mr. Kurman offers advice on employee handbooks, employment agreements, and covenants not to compete as well as confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements. Previously, Mr. Kurman was the chair of the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice Group.
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