Fox Sports executive Charlie Dixon accused twice of sexual battery, fired by network
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Workplace sexual harassment comes out of the shadows
Long before the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements shook Hollywood, everyday women faced sexual harassment in the workplace. Many still do.
USA TODAY
Charlie Dixon, a Fox Sports executive vice president who is being sued for sexual misconduct, was fired by the network.
However, Dixon's attorney say the network terminated him for hiring his wife as a freelancer and not because of the harassment cases.
Former network host Julie Stewart-Binks filed a lawsuit in January, alleging that Dixon sexually assaulted her by forcibly kissing her after pushing her against a wall in January 2016.
Dixon is also a co-defendant in a lawsuit filed in January by a former hairstylist, Noushin Faraji, who says that Dixon rubbed and groped her buttocks in January 2017. Former host Skip Bayless and current "Speak" host Joy Taylor are also named in the lawsuit, which includes claims of sexual battery, negligent supervision and wrongful termination.
Dixon's attorney, John Ly, said his client is saddened by Fox Sports' decision to terminate his employment, and has cooperated fully with the investigation and denies engaging in any inappropriate conduct.
'After nine years in positions of increasing responsibility at the network, Mr. Dixon was told that he was being let go for violating company policy,' Ly said in a statement. 'According to the network, Mr. Dixon did not disclose to human resources or the legal department that a third-party production company had hired his wife as a temporary freelancer. But the reality is that Mr. Dixon had asked his supervisor about the hire and was told that there were no objections. It is noteworthy that a Fox spokesperson made no reference to the company investigation of sexual harassment claims in announcing Mr. Dixon's departure.'
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