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 Fox Wants to Fire O'Reilly Accuser


10-16-04
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(antiTainment) Fox News has asked a judge to allow them to fire the woman that sued talk show host Bill O'Reilly for sexual harassment and to declare that the firing not be classified as retribution. 

Andrea Mackris, is an associate producer for "The O'Reilly Factor" on the cable news network. Last Wednesday, the network and O'Reilly sued her and her attorney, Benedict Morelli, claiming that they had tried to extort $60 million in "hush money" from the controversial host in return for her dropping her harassment case. The 33-year-old Mackris filed the sexual harassment suit against O'Reilly the same day. 

Mackris alleges that O'Reilly made sexual comments, including three "phone sex" calls, to her beginning in 2001, and that the comments increased after she returned to Fox in July after a short-lived position with CNN. 

Some of the alleged comments include the talk-show host reportedly encouraging her to use a vibrator and during a phone call in September told her "Next time you'll come up to my hotel room and we'll make this happen."

In a weird twist, O'Reilly's attorney, Ronald Green, believes that Mackris has tapes of her conversations with O'Reilly.  Green has asked the court to have Mackris produce the tapes so they can be aired publicly. "I know that he does not fear what is on the tapes," Green said according to the Detroit Free Press. 

Aside from the extortion accusation, O'Reilly also alleges that Mackris is politically motivated in her accusations. Claiming that her Democratic lawyer is trying to embarrass him and the Fox News Channel in the weeks running up to the Presidential election. 

"The O'Reilly Factor" is the top rated program on cable news. 
 
 

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