Another female journalist has filed a lawsuit against 21st Century Fox accusing former CEO Roger Ailes of sexual harassment, the New York Times reported Tuesday.
Fox 5 reporter Lidia Curanaj, whose legal name is Lidija Ujkic, alleged in the lawsuit that Ailes sexually harassed her when she applied for a job at Fox News.
Curanaj said she first met Ailes at a dinner in 2011, which she attended with former New York state Sen. Gregory Ball, who she had dated. She interviewed with Ailes for a position at Fox News three months later, according to the lawsuit.
During the interview, Ailes asked Curanaj to stand up and turn around so he could “see [her] from behind,” according to the complaint. He then said, “I like what I see,” per the lawsuit.
Ailes then called Ball to ask, “How’s the sex?” and whether Curanaj “put out,” according to the complaint. Ball responded that Curanaj was a “very nice girl,” the lawsuit states.
Ailes told Curanaj that she was not ready to work at Fox News and told her to seek work at a local television station. The complaint states that Curanaj didn’t “receive the position at F.N.C. because Ailes determined that she would not submit to him sexually.”
The allegations from Curanaj follow lawsuits from former Fox News hosts Gretchen Carlson and Andrea Tantaros. Fox News settled a lawsuit filed by Carlson for $20 million after Carlson accused Ailes of making sexual advances for years and “shunning” her when she rejected his advances. Tantaros also accused Ailes of unwanted sexual advances, calling the former Fox CEO a “predator.”
Correction: This story originally incorrectly stated that Curanaj filed the lawsuit against Fox News. She sued the network’s parent company, 21st Century Fox. We regret the error.
