Fox News Sexual Harassment Case Might Be Hidden By Arbitration

Former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson made waves this week when she filed a sexual harassment and wrongful termination suit against her former boss, CEO Roger Ailes, one of the most powerful men in media. Ailes’s lawyers are insisting the lawsuit be arbitrated, which would keep many details of the case secret. Experts believe the move would significantly decrease Carlson’s chance of success, the New York Times reports. Her contract stipulates that “all filings, evidence and testimony connected with the arbitration, and all relevant allegations and events leading up to the arbitration, shall be held in strict confidence.” That clause “has much broader secrecy language than is common in arbitration,” F. Paul Bland Jr., arbitration expert and executive director of Public Justice, told the Times. Critics of the rapid growth of arbitration say it conceals bad behavior from fellow employees, and covers up patterns of wrongdoing.