Lawsuit Against Fox News in Sexual Misconduct Case Dismissed

Back in July of last year, The Beat DC told you that former Fox News executive Francisco Cortés had filed a lawsuit against his former employer, saying that the network and Tamara Holder, a Fox News on-air contributor who had accused Cortés of sexual harassment, had violated a settlement agreement he had with his accuser. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Robert Sweetthrew out Cortés’ lawsuit, saying that the complaint "alleges a conspiracy theory involving [Fox] Defendants, The New York Times, [the law firm of] Paul, Weiss, and others worthy of its own Martin Scorsese thriller.” The lawsuit, which asked for damages of $48 million, said that the network and Holder’s remarks to the NYT about the case violated the agreement -- which stipulated that Holder would not “publish or cause to be published any statements” that portrayed him “in an unreasonable light” -- and destroyed Cortés’ reputation in the TV business. More here.