Fox News settles Gretchen Carlson’s sex bias lawsuit as Greta Van Susteren departs

Fox News reached a settlement with former news anchorwoman Gretchen Carlson, whose lawsuit claiming sexual harassment sparked a widespread probe at the network and ultimately the ouster of Roger Ailes, the Republican political strategist who built it into the most watched U.S. cable news network.

The settlement includes a $20 million payment to Carlson, according to a person with knowledge of the terms. “We sincerely regret and apologize for the fact that Gretchen was not treated with the respect and dignity that she and all of our colleagues deserve,” parent company 21st Century Fox said, in a statement that didn’t announce the financial terms.

In the same statement, Carlson said, “I am ready to move on with the next chapter of my life in which I will redouble my efforts to empower women in the workplace.”

Meanwhile, Greta Van Susteren, host of the nightly broadcast “On the Record,” will leave Fox News after 14 years, the network said in a statement. One of the company’s biggest female stars, Van Susteren had publicly denied witnessing any sexual harassment firsthand.

She will be replaced temporarily by Brit Hume starting Tuesday.

Since leaving Fox, Ailes has served as an adviser to Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for the White House. Lawyers for Ailes didn’t immediately respond to calls seeking comment.

Carlson’s lawsuit against Ailes depicts a workplace rampant with sexism from Ailes’s alleged ogling and innuendos to claims that Steve Doocy mocked her and treated her as a “blond female prop” on “Fox & Friends,” where the two were hosts.

Ailes, 76, “sabotaged her career because she refused his advances and complained about severe and pervasive sexual harassment,” claimed Carlson, 50, a former Miss America.

According to Carlson’s complaint, Ailes commented on her legs and outfits, while trying to engage her in sexual banter. She also alleged that Ailes said he had slept with three former Miss Americas, but not her. Carlson complained again last September to Ailes about his treatment of her.

She said he responded: “I think you and I should have had a sexual relationship a long time ago and then you’d be good and better and I’d be good and better.” He also said “sometimes problems are easier to solve” that way, Carlson claimed.

A similar lawsuit brought by ex-Fox News host Andrea Tantaros against the network and Ailes is ongoing. Tantaros is seeking almost $50 million in damages, saying her tenure at Fox “devolved into a nightmare of sexual harassment.”

This story was originally published September 6, 2016 at 9:55 AM with the headline "Fox News settles Gretchen Carlson’s sex bias lawsuit as Greta Van Susteren departs."