Former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson sued Fox News Chairman and Chief Executive Roger Ailes on Wednesday claiming sexual harassment and that he wrongfully fired her after years of making unwanted advances.
A Fox News representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Carlson claimed in the lawsuit that Ailes took her off the popular morning show "Fox & Friends" in 2013, cut her pay and placed her in a less desirable afternoon time slot because she refused to have a sexual relationship with him. The lawsuit was filed in New Jersey state court.
She also claimed in the lawsuit that Ailes called her a "man hater" and that he criticized her for getting offended when she had confrontations with male coworkers including former co-host Steve Doocy.
Carlson, 50, said she was fired on June 23. She is seeking damages for lost compensation, damage to her career and mental anguish. A former Miss America, she joined Fox News in 2005.
The lawsuit accused Ailes of retaliating against Carlson by firing her and before that "ostracizing, marginalizing and shunning her after making clear to her that these 'problems' would not have existed, and could be solved, if she had a sexual relationship with him."
Fox News is a subsidiary of News Corp. The lawsuit, which accused Ailes of retaliation, did not name the company as a defendant. The case is Carlson v. Ailes, New Jersey Superior Court, Bergen County, case number not immediately available.
