MUMBAI: A sexual harassment lawsuit has been filed against Fox News. Media reports indicate that it was initiated by America's Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and relates to men being favoured over women for employment.

The suit says that Fox retaliated against Kim Weiler, a former employee, for complaining about discrimination and that, as a result of the discrimination, Weiler and others at Fox were "constructively discharged" by the network. The suit does not state how many people were discharged.

The complaint contends that Joe Chillemi, a Fox VP, who supervised its advertising and promotions departments, sexually harassed and subjected Weiler and other women to a hostile work environment, routinely using obscenities and vulgarities to describe women or their body parts.

In addition, at a department discussion about a segment on sexism in the workplace, Chillemi said that in choosing who to hire, "'If it came down between a man or a women, of course, I'd pick the man. The woman would most likely get pregnant and leave,"' the complaint says.

Fox in its response has stated that the accusations are baseless.