Fox News’ parent company, 21st Century Fox, will investigate the sexual harassment claims made against Bill O’Reilly, the company said on Sunday.
“21st Century Fox investigates all complaints and we have asked the law firm Paul Weiss to continue assisting the company in these serious matters,” a Fox spokesperson tells TheWrap.
A lawyer who represents a plaintiff against Bill O’Reilly discussed the matter on CNN.
“On Friday, we received a call from a couple of attorneys who represent Fox News and they said that they are, indeed, going to do an investigation based on Wendy’s complaint,” Lisa Bloom, who represents accuser Wendy Walsh, said Sunday on CNN’s “Reliable Sources,” hosted by Brian Stelter. “I told them we really appreciate that and let’s get going as soon as possible. And so I am told that they are taking it seriously and they are going to do the investigation that’s legally required of them.”
Walsh said that O’Reilly offered to make her a contributor on his show, but rescinded the offer after he denied her sexual advances. Since Walsh’s public declaration and settlements to the tune of $13 million with five women who accused the political commentator of inappropriate behavior, 60 companies have pulled their advertisements from “O’Reilly Factor.”
“Wendy and I are profoundly grateful to every advertiser who has pulled out,” Bloom said. “Sometimes when I represent women and sexual harassment cases we feel like we’re all alone, that nobody is there with us. I really want to thank Mercedes-Benz, which was the first one to pull out and when they pulled out, they made a statement about supporting women’s equality.”
Although no other women have come forward since Walsh, Bloom told Stelter that the accusations are not going to simply go away.
“This is not blowing over,” she said. “I think there are going to be more claims. Listen, think about coming out publicly, against Bill O’Reilly, who’s extremely wealthy, who has a huge megaphone to come after you. What’s the first thing that happened to my client, Wendy Walsh? She got a nasty letter from his attorney accusing her of defamation, threatening to sue her.”
Bloom added: “Nobody should do it alone. They should certainly get an attorney to stand with them, but people are scared. They don’t want this in their lives. What women want are their careers and as far as I can tell, all of the women who have made complaints against Bill O’Reilly have been driven out. That’s the really scary thing for them.”