Tucker Carlson's chief aide suddenly finds himself in hot water.
A lawsuit has been filed in federal court in New York by former Fox News producer Andrew Delancey, who accuses Justin Wells – the executive producer of Carlson's show, previously on Fox and now on X – of sexual assault. (RELATED: Greg Gutfeld Reveals Name Fox News Never Wants To Hear On-Air)
Fox News terminated the employment of both Carlson and Wells earlier this year, following a $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems.
Delancey's suit was filed just before the expiration of the temporary lift on the statute of limitations under New York's Adult Survivors Act.
The law's impending expiration resulted in a wave of legal action, including sexual abuse lawsuits against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and celebrities Jamie Foxx, Axl Rose and Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Delancey claims Wells sexually assaulted him in 2008. Afterward, Wells allegedly harassed his colleague, forcing him to leave Fox News altogether.
As Mediaite reports:
According to the complaint, the trouble started in 2007, when Delancey was working with a Fox affiliate in Tampa, Florida, and Wells reached out to him through a Facebook group for Fox News employees, encouraging him to apply for positions within the company in New York City. Delancey did end up getting hired as a producer and moved to NYC.
The complaint contains allegations about Wells “showering Mr. Delancey with gifts,” including personally monogrammed items that other Fox employees did not receive, and how Wells “was not reserved about reminding Mr. Delancey that he held higher status at the Network and could, in turn, affect Mr. Delancey's career trajectory.”
The sexual assault occurred about one month after Delancey moved to NYC, according to the complaint, with Wells allegedly inviting Delancey to meet up at his apartment for a “pre-game” cocktail before heading to a nearby bar, and leading Delancey to believe that other Fox employees would be present.
Wells was allegedly alone in his apartment when Delancey arrived. “At the time, Wells had a more muscular build than Mr. Delancey, and easily overpowered him,” the complaint reads. Delancey accuses Wells of assaulting him twice before growing annoyed with his loud protests. Delancey says he hurriedly left the apartment building after Wells told him he didn't want to go out with him anymore.
Wells retaliated against Delancey for rejecting his advances, the complaint alleges, including making verbal threats, describing how Delancey believed “his career progression at Fox to be obviously halted, a departure from the promised career advancements and warm welcome that he had received when he arrived at Fox,” so he left and returned to his previous job in Tampa.
Wells and Carlson vociferously deny the accusations. (RELATED: White House Demands Fox News Apologize For Jesse Watters' ‘Sickening Attack')
In response to the claims, Wells' attorney Harmeet Dhillon issued the following statement to Mediaite: “This meritless legal action was filed 15 years after the alleged incident and mere days before the extended statute of limitations would have run. Mr. Wells denies the allegations unequivocally, and will contest them vigorously. This is yet another attempt by a law firm with a history of suing Fox and its former employees to cash in on frivolous allegations.”
Delancey is represented by the same law firm that represented Abby Grossberg, a former producer for Tucker Carlson and Maria Bartiromo. Grossberg reportedly settled a pair of lawsuits with Fox News and Carlson for $12 million in June.
Addressing the accusations head-on, Carlson said: “As a general matter, if you believe you've been the victim of a sex crime, you have a moral obligation to alert police, so it doesn't happen to someone else. If a man waits 15 years to cash in with a civil suit, no one should take him seriously. I certainly don't.”
READ NEXT: Beyond F***ed Up: Dem's Attempt To Downplay Hamas' Sexual Violence Leaves DC Gobsmacked
