A former Fox News employee accused a top producer of host Tucker Carlson of sexual assault in a lawsuit filed Monday.
The accuser, Andrew Delancey, who previously worked as a producer for a Fox News affiliate service, said in the complaint that Justin Wells, former senior executive producer of “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” assaulted him in 2008 after promising to help him advance his career. career. .
A subpoena was first filed in New York state court on Nov. 22, just before the deadline set by the state’s Adult Survivors Act, which provided a unique window for people to file civil assault lawsuits. that may have occurred years or even decades ago. . The full complaint became public on Monday, when it was transferred to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
In addition to Mr. Wells, the lawsuit names Fox News and its parent company, Fox Corporation, as defendants.
Fox News fired Wells along with Carlson in April in the wake of the network’s blockbuster $787.5 million defamation settlement with Dominion Voting Systems. Wells now works for Carlson on his show on the social media platform X.
A Fox News spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Harmeet Dhillon, Wells’ attorney, called the lawsuit “baseless.”
“Mr. Wells unequivocally denies the allegations and will vigorously contest them,” Dhillon said in a statement. “This is yet another attempt by a law firm with a history of suing Fox and its former employees to profit from frivolous allegations “.
In a statement, Carlson said: “As a general matter, if you believe you have been the victim of a sexual crime, you have a moral obligation to alert the police, so it does not happen to someone else. If you wait 15 years to profit from a civil lawsuit, no one should take you seriously. Certainly not”.
Mr. Delancey’s lawyers declined to comment beyond the complaint. The complaint does not specify any damage.
The lawsuit said that after Delancey moved to New York City in 2008 to work at Fox, Wells began “showering him with gifts” and told him she could help him “learn how to drive.” At the time, Wells was a producer for presenter Greta Van Susteren.
The men met in person for the first time outside Wells’ apartment building, according to the complaint, and Wells insisted they have a drink at his apartment before walking to a bar. In the apartment and on the roof of the building, according to the complaint, Wells grabbed Delancey’s genitals and tried to kiss him.
The lawsuit said that Delancey’s direct supervisor had warned him not to go to human resources with any complaints, and that Wells had implied that it could hinder Delancey’s career.
“Following Wells’ threats, Mr. Delancey discovered that his career progress at Fox was obviously at a standstill, a departure from the promised career advancements and the warm welcome he had received when he arrived at Fox,” the complaint says. “As a result, Mr. Delancey returned to his position at the local Fox station in Tampa.”
In 2017, amid the #MeToo movement, Delancey posted on Facebook about her experience, although without naming Wells. A former co-worker contacted him, according to the complaint, saying she remembered him telling her the events.
Wells also contacted Delancey on Facebook and said, “Hi. I saw your post. I’m sorry it happened to you. Who was it?” Delancey did not respond, according to the complaint.
