Which once again proves the old adage that “there’s nothing some attorney’s won’t do for money”…
See pro femminist, former Dukakis campaign manager, Susan Estrich leading Ailes legal defense team.
I’m going to go out on a strong limb here and bet my next day’s meals that Sherman’s pieces have been well-researched and he has great documentation … so, NY Magazine is on solid ground.
As to the other issue, Melania’s libel lawsuit against the Mail Online, the other publications are 100% in the clear because all they did was reference the Mail Online story, they did not make the allegations, nor did they attempt to embellish them. All they did was report the Mail Online had a particular story, they sought out Melania’s response, etc., and they reported on that. To date, though, Mail Online has retracted their story and formally apologized to Melania. They were cowed by the deep pockets Trump has access to, likely drawing out this suit for years.
Go ahead and sue 'em if you think you have a case, fat boy. Just a bunch of strong-arm bluster otherwise. Fat boy.
Just one word Ailes and his attorneys should keep in mind: discovery. Could be a goldmine for other FoxBabes looking to file civil suits.
They really haven’t thought this one through. “Mr. Ailes, if these are all just vicious, unsubstantiated rumors, as you contend, why are you not still at the helm of FoxNews?” Chirp, chirp, chirp…
He should sue himself while he’s at it.
What kind of libel insurance does NYMag have? Because Ailes is almost certainly willing to spend $10-20M of his or other people’s money to make an example of them. And, unfortunately, discovery works both ways. Ailes will be looking to get the names of every single source for the story long before trial so that his people can, uh, persuade them they were mistaken.
The point is intimidation. Roger Ailes has been a bully his entire career. Peter Thiel is a bully. So is his lawyer. So is Donald Trump. The whole point is to cause expense and incurring of legal fees. Roger Ailes is trying to keep New York Magazine and Mr. Sherman from hearing from more witnesses to Ailes sexual shakedown modus. He is threatening the witnesses too by his lawyer’s demand that NYMag "keep evidence’ for his future nuisance litigation.
Roger Ailes sure enjoyed beating up on Liberal politicians but God forbid someone come up with actual real shit about him. We will sue them back to the Stone Age.
As mentioned above discovery could be a multi-year process handing live ammunition to all the women coming forward against Ailes. Ailes has to be a trophy hunter; Hidden cameras, audio tapes, articles of under garments. Any of that destroyed or altered would be grounds for criminal investigation(s).
I can’t wait for the discovery part of the suit, where NYMag subpoenas all the email and telephone records for the last 15 years of all the executives and newspeople at Fox, all the appointment calendars, all the “ghost files,” all the HR records of all the employees at NewsCorp, including all correspondence electronic or otherwise with Rupert Murdoch, all video recordings, aired or not, of all Fox News presentations, all audio recordings made by Mr. Ailes in his office, whether authorized or not. And that’s BEFORE the subpoenaed testimony of all the women who were victimized by Ailes and his cooperative cronies at the top of Fox.
Yeah, I can’t wait for this suit to move forward. If I were one of the Murdoch sons, I’d be quite worried that such a suit would totally tank Fox.
Perhaps daddy Murdoch forgot to tell roger that he was supposed to go quietly into that good night. Discovery will definately be a bitch.
Go right ahead and sue him Roger.
Makes you wonder why he didn’t just sue…only threaten to sue.
Probably trying to drive him off, but Sherman has already been through this with his book on Ailes earlier and I am
pretty certain is going to have plenty of evidence to back up his article in NYork mag.
I’m not sure Ailes wants to wind up in court under cross examination on the facts behind his sexual harassment and outright abuse of staff members at FOX including the woman he allegedly paid for sex and had come to NY on regular visits, ostensibly to “go over planning.” She had a nervous breakdown over it all. Sure Roger wants to chat about that too.
Oh goodie…suits and counter suits and somehow they all have Trump and his penchant for suing in common? How PRESIDENTIAL!!!
And now a new twist. “Mr. Ailes, if these stories are all just fabrications, designed solely to harm you, why has your former employer shelled out a cool $20 million to settle the first (of many) suits?”
Ailes has skeletons in his closet. And you thought Denny Hastert was desperate to keep the genie in the bottle…
I’m sure NY Mag and Sherman knew this was coming…I’m also fairly sure from the reporting that Sherman has his facts and sources checked and nailed down with all their I’s dotted and T’s crossed before publishing, and that NY Mag will stand behind the author. It pisses me off though all the same. Its like J. Marshall said when this same lawyer took down Gawker (not exactly a well-respected site by all). It really is the beginning of the millionaire and billionaire-class to take down whatever media they don’t like because of unflattering reporting. If only some billionaire would take down Infowars for all the obvious lies they tell daily and some of the other extreme rightwing sites that have been defaming the left for years with their singular focus on fomenting hysteria and rage, and inciting violence by some of the most unhinged people in the country.
Criminal collusion?
Now, I’m not a lawyer, but if I understand it correctly, truth is an absolute defense against a charge of defamation. Go ahead, waste more of your ill-gotten money and clog up the courts, you ass. You will not prevail this time, Jabba.