Bill O'Reilly Sued for Sexual Harassment

[dietzy]

Not sure if this fits here, but for lack of a better place. And since O'Reilly is usually pretty political....

I actually have found this to be quite shocking. Of course anyone can claim anything as the truth even if it is far from being so. But in his industry...even if the woman is proven wrong...they could even find her diaries and conversations with friends saying she was going to take him down because he favored Republicans...and his career could still very well be over. It is a shame...I used to enjoy watching him....

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1013043mackris1.html

I am reading part of the legal briefing in that link...rather shocking allegations!

But O'Reilly also has a law suit against this woman and her law firm for allegedly trying to extort millions from him. Going to be a messy one all over the news I predict.

[Crimson King II]

Sexual Harassment cases are more often than not a bunch of bunk.

[WeirdBrake]

I'm inclined to think this lawsuit is full of crap. The allegations in the complaint are ridiculous. They seem totally constructed so as to create the ideal case for sexual harassment. Real life is more messy. What's more, the manner in which this complaint was written was totally unprofessional. Those sly but obvious jabs at right-wing conservatism? Give me a break. Any lawyer worth his or her salt would know better than to try to politicize a tort case; it undermines credibility.

[dietzy]

Interesting that I saw on the O'Reilly website that he had it as his talking points segment...Seems like a straight shooter...of course you never know what someone is REALLY like off camera, but it would be such a complete 180 that he should be in a straight jacket.

Even if false though...this could still seriously hurt his career which sucks.

[AlFa]

I find this case similar in structure to the whole Kobe Bryant ordeal. Maybe both Kobe and O'Reilly are guilty, I don't know and I highly doubt that more than 4 people will EVER know 100% for sure. But I find it very concerning that their careers can be potentially ruined over false allegations...if they are indeed false. It just goes to show you how fickle our society is that a person's reputation and subsequently their livelihood be put in jeopardy in a blink of an eye.

[maxwell78]

Originally posted by WeirdBrake
What's more, the manner in which this complaint was written was totally unprofessional. Those sly but obvious jabs at right-wing conservatism?
I thought the same thing. The language used was very loose and colloquial in some parts too.

[kimmer23]

up until now i didnt know that he sued her before hand...interesting....

[dietzy]

Definitely going to be interesting to see how this plays out. And the woman suing him mentions another woman at Fox that O'Reilly supposedly taught how to use a vibrator and she said she knew this woman. So it will be interesting to see if that woman supports the claim or denounces it. And are there tapes? And if so, what do they show?

I think the sad part is that the general media and people in general seem to have the "guilty until proven innocent" mind set these days. If you are accused of anything these days you are screwed no matter what because of that mindset.

[silverkitten62]

I think it's true that you never know, but I personally think the allegations are crap too.

[dietzy]

Latest today is that she is now claiming that she went to Fox with the complaints and they said they would investigate and then let her go in retaliation. While logical that Fox would not want to lose their cash cow, O'Reilly, it is also a stretch in a workplace today for a company to be so blatantly stupid. Add to that the fact that these allegations were not in the original filing makes them suspect in my mind.

[Crimson King II]

These are the types of cases I do every day. The ridiculous thing is that the same type of case for any average Defendant would cost them maybe the cost of their defense...the Plaintiff would get 10,000 and the lawyer may get 14,000. 24-40,000 total loss. O'Reilly is a public guy and Fox is a public corporation. Even if she wins at court, a harassment claim is capped at 300,000 max recovery. She's seeking a payday and so is her lawyer. O'Reilly is a big mouth, and she probably baited him into saying things or he felt comfortable enough with her to make stupid comments and now they'll cost him and/or Fox some money.

These claims are garbage.

[dietzy]

So CK, based on other cases that you have seen, case study in law school, other cases in the country, etc etc how would you evaluate this case. I am assuming you probably read the initial filing by the "victum" which was posted all over the web the day she filed it. Anything glaring that stands out to you or that raises the red flag in your mind to say that the claim is garbage? Just curious on the professional insight.

[Crimson King II]

I have not read the pleadings. However, 95% of these cases involve the victim making similar claims, the Defendant denying them, and no other witnesses. The case turns more on whether she complained and whether the company terminated her for her complaint, not the harassment itself.

I brought a similar case for a local news reporter against her producer. It settled for peanuts. But in this case, given the Defendant, it's a case that a lawyer could take to the media and make a bundle just because bad press is worth more than the damage caps. I think the active media involvement by the Plaintiff and the lawyer is a dead giveaway. I have no doubt that she probably has tapes of O'Reilly saying dumb, maybe even sexual things...illustrating potential harassment, which is not the same as liability. But if she does, she can squeeze more juice from the lemon. We do it here everyday...just not on tv. That's part of why I'm leaving...it's mostly money grabs.

That's just my gut take. I'll post more as I become more familiar with the filings and whatnot.