Political commentator and former frequent Fox News guest Scottie Nell Hughes filed a lawsuit against the conservative news network Monday that claims she was sexually abused over a period of years by Fox Business host Charles Payne and then retaliated against by the network when she came forward with her allegations, The New York Times reports.
Payne was suspended from Making Money, the show he hosts on Fox Business, in July pending an investigation into the allegations.
Wigdor, who is representing several current and former Fox News employees in harassment and discrimination cases against the network, said Fox was victim-blaming.
In a statement, Fox News said the lawsuit was “bogus,” “downright shameful” and a “publicity stunt of a lawsuit” by Hughes’ attorney Douglas H. Wigdor.