A former Fox News employee on Monday accused a top producer of host Tucker Carlson of sexual assault.

The accuser, Andrew Delancey, who previously worked as a producer for a Fox News affiliate, said in the complaint that Justin Wells, formerly the senior executive producer of “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” attacked him in 2008 after promising to end his career to help move forward. .

The first summons was filed in New York State court on November 22, just before the deadline under the state’s Adult Survivors Act, which gave people a one-time window to file civil lawsuits alleging abuse that may have occurred. took place years or even decades ago. . The full complaint was made public Monday when it was transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

In addition to Mr. Wells, the lawsuit names Fox News and its parent company, Fox Corporation, as defendants.

Fox News fired Mr. Wells along with Mr. Carlson in April in the wake of the network’s blockbuster $787.5 million defamation settlement with Dominion Voting Systems. Mr. Wells now works for Mr. Carlson on his show on the social media platform X.

A Fox News spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Harmeet Dhillon, a lawyer for Mr. Wells, called the lawsuit “meritless.”

“Mr. Wells unequivocally denies the allegations and will vigorously contest them,” Ms. Dhillon said in a statement. “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.”

In a statement, Mr Carlson said: “If you believe you have been the victim of a sexual crime, you generally have a moral obligation to alert the police so that it does not happen to someone else. If you wait fifteen years before you can file a civil lawsuit, no one should take you seriously. I certainly won’t do that.”

Mr. Delancey’s lawyers declined to comment beyond the complaint. The complaint does not specify any damages.

The lawsuit said that after Mr. Delancey moved to New York City in 2008 for his job at Fox, Mr. Wells “began showering Mr. Delancey with gifts” and telling him he could help him “learn the ropes to learn’. At the time, Mr. Wells was a field producer for host Greta Van Susteren.

The men met in person for the first time outside Mr. Wells’ apartment building, the complaint said, and Mr. Wells insisted they have a drink at his apartment before walking to a bar. Inside the apartment and on the roof of the building, the complaint said, Mr. Wells grabbed Mr. Delancey’s genitals and tried to kiss him.

The lawsuit said that Mr. Delancey’s immediate supervisor had warned him not to go to the human resources department with complaints, and that Mr. Wells had suggested that he could hinder Mr. Delancey’s career.

“Following Wells’ threats, Mr. Delancey found his career advancement at Fox markedly halted, a departure from the promised career opportunities and warm welcome he had received upon arriving at Fox,” the complaint said. “As a result, Mr. Delancey returned to his position at the local Fox station in Tampa.”

In 2017, amid the #MeToo movement, Mr. Delancey posted on Facebook about his experiences, but without naming Mr. Wells. A former colleague contacted him, the complaint said, and said she remembered him telling her about the events.

Mr Wells also contacted Mr Delancey on Facebook and said: “Hey. I saw your message. I’m sorry this happened to you. Who was it?” According to the complaint, Mr. Delancey did not respond.

Fox News shook up its primetime lineup Monday in the first major reorganization of its most popular programming since the start of the Trump administration. The move includes permanently filling the 8 p.m. slot that’s been vacant since the network canceled Tucker Carlson’s show in April.

The changes will result in the promotion of two of the network’s rising stars: Jesse Watters, whose show moves from 8 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Greg Gutfeld, who hosts a 11 p.m. comedy and current affairs program that regularly attracts higher ratings. then nightly rivals like Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel. Mr. Gutfeld’s show is now at 10 p.m

Laura Ingraham, who has presented a 10pm program since 2017, moves to 7pm occupying the hour Mr Watters presents. Sean Hannity, a mainstay at Fox News since the early days, remains in his 9 p.m. slot.

Fox’s prime time ratings have always been the highest in cable news, but have fallen by about a third since the network’s Mr. Carlson off the air. His departure followed a string of public relations headaches and legal troubles stemming from both his offensive comments both on and off the air and a lawsuit from a former producer alleging he facilitated a toxic workplace.

In April, shortly before Mr. Carlson’s show was canceled, Fox News and its parent company settled a defamation lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million. Some of Mr. Carlson’s private text messages became public during the case, including some in which he attacked network colleagues, disparaged former President Donald J. Trump and said he did not believe the results of the 2020 election were materially affected by voter fraud.

One particularly damaging text, which sparked a crisis at the top of the Fox Corporation, expressed inflammatory views on violence and race.