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The News Corporation logo outside their headquarters building, home to Fox News, in Manhattan, New York. REUTERS/Mike Segar
(Reuters) - Former Fox News White House correspondent Ed Henry has filed a lawsuit accusing National Public Radio and CNN of defaming him by reporting a colleague's claims that Henry had raped her and had a history of sexual misconduct as if they were true.
Henry in a complaint filed in Manhattan federal court on Thursday said NPR last year published false claims by reporter David Folkenflik that Fox News failed to address sexual harassment claims against Henry prior to Jennifer Eckhart, a Fox Business News producer, accusing him of rape in a 2020 lawsuit.
CNN correspondents Brian Stelter and Alisyn Camerota, relying on Folkenflik's reporting, then falsely claimed the harassment complaints were what triggered Fox's firing of Henry last July, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit is the latest twist in a series of legal battles stemming from allegations of sexual misconduct involving Fox News personalities, which began five years ago when former anchor Gretchen Carlson accused Roger Ailes, the network's former chief executive, of sexual harassment. Ailes, who died in 2017, denied the claims.
Henry, who was fired last July, filed a separate defamation complaint on Wednesday against Fox News in New Jersey federal court. The network in a statement called that complaint "a desperate attempt for relevance and redemption."
Isabel Lara, NPR’s executive director of media relations, said the network stands behind Folkenflik's reporting and called Henry's claims meritless.
"Millions of Americans trust NPR to provide accurate information about the world and their communities every day; we take this responsibility very seriously," Lara said.
A representative of CNN's parent, Turner Broadcasting System Inc (TBS), did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Eckhart sued Henry and Fox News last July, claiming Henry "violently raped" her after sending a series of inappropriate text messages. Eckhart, whose lawsuit is pending, claimed Fox News failed to address sexual harassment claims against Henry by other women.
Henry, who is represented by Ty Clevenger, said in Thursday's lawsuit that he and Eckhart had a consensual relationship that ended in 2017, and that her lawsuit marked the first time she had alleged to anyone that Henry had assaulted her.
About three weeks before Eckhart filed her lawsuit, NPR published an article by Folkenflik stating that Henry had been fired for "willful workplace sexual misconduct."
The day after Eckhart filed her complaint, Stelter appeared on a CNN program hosted by Camerota where he stated that the lawsuit "explains why Ed Henry was fired" and that Henry “was known to be a problem internally."
Henry on Thursday claimed that both the NPR and CNN reports falsely implied that Eckhart's allegations were true and that Henry had a history of sexual misconduct.
Henry accused NPR, TBS, Folkenflik, Stelter and Camerota of defamation under Maryland and New York law. He is seeking actual and punitive damages.
Eckhart in a tweet responding to the lawsuit on Thursday called Henry a "tool bag" and wrote "he is NOT a victim, but he sure does a swell job of playing one!"
The case is Henry v. National Public Radio, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, No. 1:21-cv-05728.
For Henry: Ty Clevenger and Janet Goode
For the defendants: Not available
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July 03, 2021 at 04:34AM
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Fired Fox News host accuses NPR, CNN of defamation over rape claim - Reuters
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