Claims in a lawsuit accusing former Fox Sports host Skip Bayless of offering to pay former Fox Sports hairstylist Noushin Faraji $1.5 million to have sex after she told him she has cancer have been resolved by settlement.
On Tuesday, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Laura A. Seigle granted a motion filed by attorneys for Faraji to dismiss causes of action for sexual battery, hostile work environment, failure to prevent harassment, negligent supervision, retaliation and wrongful termination.
Faraji has additional claims against Fox that she hopes will become the basis of a certified class action. Those causes of action include failure to pay minimum wages, failure to reimburse business expenses, failure to pay all wages upon separation, failure to furnish accurate itemized wage statements, and unfair, unlawful, or fraudulent business practices. She also invokes California’s Private Attorneys General Act, which authorizes employment related claims.
Faraji sued in January, accusing the network of failing to pay minimum wages, failure to pay overtime wages and failure to reimburse business expenses. Those claims were in addition to allegations that Bayless and other co-workers engaged in workplace misconduct.
As is customary in civil litigation, terms of the settlement of the claims were not made public. A settlement is not an admission of guilt and normally contains non-disclosure language that bars the parties from commenting on the matter.
As Sportico detailed, Faraji in January leveled a bevy of accusations against Bayless as well as FS1 executive Charlie Dixon. Bayless was described as giving “lingering hugs” and unwanted “kisses on the cheek.” Faraji’s complaint also described what she portrayed as a systemic reduction in her workload before being terminated in 2024. That was the same year when Undisputed, a show Bayless co-hosted with co-host Shannon Sharpe, was cancelled. Sharpe himself was dismissed from ESPN in July following settlement of a lawsuit accusing him of rape.
Faraji seeks for the remainder of her case to be certified as a class action on behalf of similarly situated Fox employees from over the last four years. Those employees would include nonexempt hourly workers who were allegedly denied minimum wage, overtime, double time and other benefits.
By settling Faraji’s individual claims, the parties resolve a key portion of the dispute without extensive pretrial discovery. Discovery in a harassment litigation can involve sharing of emails, texts and notes on sensitive topics. Discovery can also entail the taking of sworn testimony that could become public as part of the litigation process.
According to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, Bayless and former NBA player Gilbert Arenas are launching a new show, The Arena: Gridiron, which will be produced by sports gaming and media company Underdog.
