Fox News Guest Says She was Raped by Host

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Scottie Nell Hughes, who has appeared as a guest on Fox News and Fox Business filed a lawsuit against the network on Monday accusing them of retaliating against her after she claimed she was raped by Fox Business anchor Charles Payne.

Payne had been suspended by the network while the company looked into the charges against him. Payne was cleared by the investigation and has returned to the air at Fox Business. 

But, that has not stopped Nell Hughes and she has hired the Wigdor law firm to represent her.

“My complaint speaks for itself.  What is most important to me is that justice will prevent other women from going through the nightmare I’m now living.  On my behalf, Wigdor LLP will expose Fox’s unconscionable conduct, including leaking my name to the media.  I am grateful to my husband, family, friends and colleagues for the outpouring of love and support,” Scottie Hughes said in a statement. 

“On behalf of Scottie Nell Hughes, today we filed an action against Fox to hold it accountable for yet another case involving sexual harassment and retaliation inflicted by Fox executives in order to protect male, on-air talent.  As alleged in the complaint, after Ms. Hughes confidentially reached out to Fox to disclose that she was sexually assaulted and raped by Fox anchor Charles Payne, Fox ruthlessly leaked her name to a reporter at the National Enquirer, along with a self-serving “statement” by Payne apologizing for what he falsely described as an “affair.” We intend to aggressively litigate Ms. Hughes’s claims and hold Fox accountable to the fullest extent under the law,” the Wigdor law firm said in a statement. 

Fox News strongly denied the allegations in their own statement.

“The latest publicity stunt of a lawsuit filed by Doug Wigdor has absolutely no merit and is downright shameful,” a spokesperson for the network said. “We will vigorously defend this. It’s worth noting that Doug is Ms. Hughes’ third representative in the last six months to raise some variation of these claims which concern events from four years ago, since it apparently took some time to find someone willing to file this bogus case.”