Editor's Notes at EditorsNotes.com

Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Mackris Atty Claims Solid Evidence of O'Reilly Harassment
By Stet at 6:49 PM / / / Link / Edit /


Newsday:

Mackris' attorney, Benedict Morelli, said in a news conference Wednesday afternoon that they had "concrete and verifiable evidence" in regard to the sexual harrassment allegations.

Morelli said O'Reilly's retaliatory lawsuit is meritless, noting, "the type of negotiations that occurred between us and the attorneys for Fox and Bill O'Reilly happen every day in civil lawsuits."

Fox and O'Reilly call the sex-harassment claims "baseless" and politically motivated designed to "embarrass and tarnish the reputations of Fox and O'Reilly."

[...]

Mackris worked as an associate producer on "The O'Reilly Factor" from April 2000 through Jan. 2004. She left for competitor CNN in early 2004 but returned to Fox in July.

O'Reilly's suit says Fox and the commentator first learned about the sexual harassment claim in late September only after Morelli presented the network with excerpts of transcripts of taped conversations. The network alleges that Morelli threatened to file a high-profile lawsuit unless a settlement could be reached.

"As a public figure, I have received many threats. But enough is enough... the threats stop now. I will not give in to extortion," O'Reilly said in a statement, adding that he would donate any damages awarded to charity.

Advertisement

Lost Remote
Lost Remote: Where TV Finds the Future. Get the latest news and resources at LostRemote.com.

Advertisement

PressThink
PressThink: The Journalism We Have, The Journalism We Need. PressThink.org.