A Former Fox News Anchor And Bill O’Reilly Accuser Has Sued Him For Defamation

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Almost exactly one year after the New York Times detailed the $13 million in settlements paid by Bill O’Reilly and Fox News to five women who accused the (now-former) network host of sexual misconduct, more legal trouble is in store for O’Reilly. That is to say, more trouble after word of a sixth settlement for the astronomical sum of $32 million. Since those stories dropped, multiple accusers have sued O’Reilly for defamation, and now, ex-Fox News anchor Laurie Dhue has brought a defamation lawsuit as well.

Dhue appeared on Fox News from 2000 to 2008, and the Times previously revealed that she received at least $1 million in her settlement with O’Reilly and Fox News. After an advertiser exodus, the cable news network parted ways with the disgraced host, and he publicly groused several times while calling his accusers’ claims “unfounded,” which Dhue says has damaged her reputation beyond repair. Her lawsuit includes the following language:

“As part of his desperate campaign to clear his name, O’Reilly published false statements about Dhue — as well as the other women — calling her a liar, swearing that her allegations were fabricated in an effort to obtain a settlement, falsely asserting that her purported claims against O’Reilly were politically motivated and lying by saying that he only paid settlements to avoid having his family go through litigation, not because he had engaged in the claimed sexual misconduct.”

Dhue’s attorneys are seeking a jury trial along with monetary damages. O’Reilly himself hasn’t issued a public statement about this lawsuit, but one of his lawyers told the Times that he would “aggressively” defend against the lawsuit. The attorneys also maintain that O’Reilly has never specifically mentioned Dhue’s name while discussing the matter in various venues, so they don’t believe that her defamation claims have merit.

(Via New York Times)

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