Will Gretchen Carlson vs. Roger Ailes Ever Go to Court?
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There are many Fox News haters that would love nothing more than to see former Fox News Anchor Gretchen Cralson's sexual harassment suit headed into a courtroom.
But, will that happen?
The odds are it will not. If Carlson has the damming evidence that her attorney claims to have, Ailes will settle long before it heads to court.
On the other hand, Roger Ailes is fighter and he there is no doubt he will come at Carlson with both barrels.
Ailes stands staunchly behind his employees and they are very loyal to him. But, one an employee leaves, or disrespects him, Ailes goes for the jugular.
It took Ailes most of the day yesterday to address the Carlson lawsuit, but finally in the evening he released a statement. "Gretchen Carlson’s allegations are false. This is a retaliatory suit for the network’s decision not to renew her contract, which was due to the fact that her disappointingly low ratings were dragging down the afternoon lineup. When Fox News did not commence any negotiations to renew her contract, Ms. Carlson became aware that her career with the network was likely over and conveniently began to pursue a lawsuit. Ironically, FOX News provided her with more on-air opportunities over her 11 year tenure than any other employer in the industry, for which she thanked me in her recent book. This defamatory lawsuit is not only offensive, it is wholly without merit and will be defended vigorously,” the statement said.
Carlson lawyer Nancy Erika Smith has come out of the gate running. She says that she is not talking settlement and is ready to to take on the Fox News kingpin in court.
"We haven’t discussed a settlement with our client or anything because no one has raised it. This is about more than money. Gretchen is standing up for something really important to her, it’s something that’s been a hallmark of her career,” Smith said, noting Carlson's work with victims of domestic violence, on sexual harassment and women empowerment. "It’s important for her to stand up for women right now,"Smith said.
Smith has hinted that she is willing to bring former and current Fox News employees into the case. The parade of Fox News female Anchors heading into to court to testify, has to send shivers down Ailes' spine.
But, on the other side, Carlson is making claims that go back more than 7 years. If it was so bad, why did she wait until her contract was not renewed before filing a suit? This is the one big red flag in her lawsuit. She did not come forward until she was fired.
That fact alone is Ailes' ace up the sleeve. There is no one that read the news of Carlson's lawsuit that didn't think or say, "She waited until after she was fired to file the lawsuit."
As we said, the people that dislike Fox News and all that it stands for are wishing that this goes to court and takes down Ailes. If it goes all the way, it could have a huge impact on Fox News in general as well.
This is very early in the game and it is too early to tell what the impact could be, be the likelihood of this case ever seeing a courtroom is remote at best.
Stay tuned....
