Fox Sports has been in mediation with former network hairstylist Noushin Faraji for a possible settlement over her lawsuit against the network, executive Charlie Dixon, former host Skip Bayless, and current host Joy Taylor.
According to court documents obtained by Front Office Sports, Faraji’s attorneys and Fox’s attorneys mediated the matter on March 10.
“While the parties did not resolve at mediation, they are continuing to engage in settlement discussions with the mediator,” the filing said. “The parties believe that, to preserve resources, it would be beneficial to hold off on the Initial Status Conference pending completing settlement negotiations.”
Attorneys for Faraji, Fox, Bayless, Dixon, and Taylor jointly entered into the stipulation.
News of the mediation and possible settlement talks were contained in a joint filing from attorneys for Faraji seeking an extension of a status conference by at least 90 days from an initial status conference on April 22. The court granted the joint stipulation and scheduled the initial status conference for July 29.
FOS broke the story of Faraji’s explosive lawsuit on Jan. 5. In her suit, she alleged that she was sexually harassed by both Dixon and Skip Bayless and insulted on a “personal and professional level” by Taylor.
Dixon has been placed on administrative leave. Taylor was briefly sidelined by Fox, but she returned to host her weekday show, Speak, after a two-week absence. Bayless left Fox last year.
Former Fox Sports host Julie Stewart-Binks has also sued Fox, alleging that she was sexually assaulted by Dixon at a Los Angeles–area hotel in 2016. Awful Announcing first reported last week that Dixon filed a response to the lawsuit claiming there was “no sexual or offensive contact or intentional contact with [Stewart-Binks]” at the meeting.
Fox did not respond to a request for comment. But in January, a company spokesperson told FOS in a statement: “We take these allegations seriously and have no further comment at this time given this pending litigation.”
The attorneys listed for Bayless and Faraji did not respond to a request for comment.
