(Bloomberg) -- Former Fox News star Bill O'Reilly won't have to face a lawsuit by an ex-producer who said he defamed her with comments following a New York Times report that five women got payments from the network to avoid litigation involving the host.
Rachel Witlieb Bernstein sued O'Reilly in December 2017 claiming that the host, who was forced out at Fox over allegations of sexual harassment, defamed her when he said no Fox employees had used a company hot line to object to his behavior. She said there was no such hot line and that she had repeatedly complained to executives about him. According to the lawsuit, she agreed to settle in July 2002 claims she'd made against O'Reilly and Fox that included discrimination.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Deborah Batts in Manhattan dismissed the suit. O'Reilly assailed Bernstein as “politically motivated” and made other such comments, the judge said. But she called the comments “loose and hyperbolic” and noted that he didn't accuse her of a crime or harm her in other ways.
O'Reilly has said he never identified Bernstein or mentioned her name and that none of his statements could be construed to be about her. He said the settled claims were without merit.
“Mr. O'Reilly has drawn the line,” said his lawyer Andrew Bourne. “He will fight hard to protect his family and his reputation, and we're pleased that Judge Batts once again saw the suit for what it is by dismissing it with prejudice.”
Lawyers for Bernstein didn't immediately respond to emails seeking comment on the decision.
To contact the reporter on this story: Chris Dolmetsch in Federal Court in Manhattan at cdolmetsch@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: David Glovin at dglovin@bloomberg.net, Peter Jeffrey
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