Posted on 10/13/2004 11:07:54 PM PDT by Former Military Chick
Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly, the nation's top-rated cable news host and an insistent advocate for personal responsibility and self-control, was accused of sexual harassment in a lawsuit filed Wednesday by a producer on his show who says O'Reilly repeatedly pressured her to engage in phone sex and frightened her with lewd "monologues."
The suit, filed in New York by Andrea Mackris, a 33-year-old associate producer on "The O'Reilly Factor," quotes O'Reilly as speaking to her in highly explicit terms about vibrators, oral sex, masturbation and a fantasy involving a Caribbean hotel room shower.
It also quotes O'Reilly as threatening "any woman" who complained about his advances, and as suggesting that Fox News chief Roger Ailes would "go after" enemies of the channel.
"Look at Al Franken — one day he's going to get a knock on his door and life as he's known it will change forever," the suit quotes O'Reilly as saying.
Franken, a liberal commentator, has been engaged for months in a public feud with O'Reilly. Franken did not respond to calls seeking comment.
The suit names O'Reilly and several other defendants, including Fox's parent, News Corp., and Westwood One Inc., the syndicator of O'Reilly's radio show.
Before the suit was made public, O'Reilly and Fox News filed their own claim in New York Supreme Court against Mackris and her attorney, Benedict Morelli, accusing them of trying to extort $60 million from him.
"Enough is enough," O'Reilly said in a statement. "I will not give in to extortion."
In their court papers, O'Reilly and Fox News said Mackris' allegations "may ... be motivated by Morelli's political connections to the Democratic Party." Morelli has given to the campaigns of Democratic candidates including Sen. John F. Kerry and Sen. John Edwards, the suit says.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Give Cavuto the timeslot....
I don't know about you, but if my boss calls me on the phone and tell me his sexual fantasies, I would tell him to stop it. But my boss isn't worth that much money, so I guess I wouldn't start encouraging it like this woman obviously did. On the other hand, HOW STUPID COULD O'REILLY BE in this day and age to do something like that?
yeah. Concerning the freepers jumping on the bandwagon - stop to think for a second. We all think. Thats why we're conservatives, not knee-jerk liberals with failing logic.
If O'reilly goes down, its a huge blemish on Fox and conservatives because of the MSM's successful campaign to paint O'Reilly as a conservative. Its bad for the public arena. Understand?
He always struck me as the kind of guy you don't want to live next door to...he has a voice that seems engineered to yell at kids for walking on his lawn.
11. At all times mentioned herein, Defendant Bill O'Reilly was and is the host and "star" of "The O'Reilly Factor". The "O'Reilly Factor" is broadcast on cable television ....(no viewable)... Westwood One and Bill O'Reilly utilize this forum to preach the principles of the so-called "compasionate conservatism" espoused by George W. Bush and the Republican Party. The Defendants also use this forum to preach their belief in family values and to emoan the moral decline of politicians and others in positions of power.
Lest there be any doubt as to their greed, motivation and intent, at the meeting that Mackris and Morelli held with representatives of News Corp and Fox to discuss their demand, Mackris and Morelli made it abundantly clear that their aim was to extort millions from Fox and O’Reilly by threatening to go public with allegations that would subject O’Reilly to scorn, ridicule and abuse, and that neither Fox nor O’Reilly could afford to defend them. [Can you say Soros?]
Indeed, at that meeting, Defendants expressly demanded $60 million to resolve the situation. They have never lowered that astonishing demand. When asked to justify that number, Morelli stated that he considered that amount to be appropriate because it would be less than the revenues that he projected that Fox would lose from the adverse publicity, and that “O’Reilly couldn’t afford to let [the lawsuit] go forward.” Morelli never once tried to justify the demand as being in any way supported by existing law.
Plaintiffs further believe that these scandalous allegations against O’Reilly may also be motivated by Morelli’s political connections to the Democratic Party. The extortion attempt is timed to coincide with upcoming Presidential election, to cause maximum disruption and damage to Plaintiffs, while at the same time benefiting Fox’s major competitor CNN. [She had just returned to Fox from CNN]
In sum, Defendants’ outrageous demand leaves Plaintiffs with a Hobson’s choice due to Defendants’ perversion, exploitation and abuse of the legal system. Plaintiffs realize that the price of defense itself will likely cause irreparable injury to their reputations and financial interests at a critical time in the pending presidential election, impacting viewership, advertising revenues and careers. Still, Plaintiffs have opted not to abide by Defendants’ extortion, for that would only send a signal to those who might seek extortion as a means in the future.
I wonder if he offered her an autographed copy of his book, "Who's Looking Out For You?"
I wonder if he calls anything else "The Factor."
The suit was just filed, and not only has nothing been proven but the suit may get thrown out as insufficient on the pleadings, and yet that doesn't stop the LA Times from having a fun time going over every lewd peice of alleged conversation in the complaint.
You can hear them thinking: "Hey great, this is defamation-proof! All we need to to do is repeat every chrage in the complaint and no one can touch us! We can damage O'Reilly's reputation risk-free!"
These people are disgusting.
Did O'Reilly host his show Wednesday?
I would imagine the Left is trying to ignite a firestorm as a mirror image to the Dan Rather fiasco.
O'Reilly needs to get out of the picture at least temporarily.
Quote Hildy:
"I don't know about you, but if my boss calls me on the phone and tell me his sexual fantasies, I would tell him to stop it. But my boss isn't worth that much money, so I guess I wouldn't start encouraging it like this woman obviously did. On the other hand, HOW STUPID COULD O'REILLY BE in this day and age to do something like that?"
Your phraseology suggests you buy her story!?!
Seems a little premature to me...
Good. Fire the idiot.
Now we know all of that BOR cutesy terminology stuff really is innuendo (pun intended)!
I do understand but thank you for the clarification. I agree, many paint Bill as a conservative and would just love to smear him like there is no tomorrow. As I said I do not care for him much, but, if this is a hoax, then shame on the gal, if it isn't well then all bets are off.
Frankly, Bill, should have done his talking points on this. I know it was debate night, but, still get it out there, tell what has happened and say nothing more until something else happens in the court. That would be my thinking at least.
Time will tell.
pete anderson wrote:
LOL!
I wonder if he calls anything else "The Factor."
Well, sounds like she has tapes. Yes, I buy her story. But I think there's alot more to the story. There has to be some smoke for them to demand 60 million, don't you think?
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