“Ex-Fox News anchor Ed Henry cannot dismiss a lawsuit accusing him of sex trafficking, as a federal judge advanced several claims against him and the network in a ruling on Thursday. The developments came in a lawsuit filed by ex-associate producer Jennifer Eckhart roughly a year ago, which opened with a ‘Trigger Warning’ cautioning readers with blaring red text in block capital letters that the complaint contained ‘Highly Graphic Information of a Sexual Nature'”

“‘She asserts that [Henry] is liable for sex trafficking because she says he used empty promises of career advancement to defraud her into coming to his hotel room, then used force to cause her to have sexual intercourse with him,’ U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams summarized in a 52-page opinion and order. The judge noted that Eckhart’s allegations are not what traditionally comes to mind when the public thinks of the statute. ‘To be sure, this is not a conventional claim of sex trafficking,’ the judge wrote. ‘Eckhart has not alleged, for example, that Henry forced her into prostitution or sexual slavery.’ During oral arguments in July, Eckhart’s lawyer Michael John Willemin described Henry’s conduct as ‘Weinstein-esque, but worse.’ ‘He hit her,’ Willemin said, referring to Henry and his client. ‘He handcuffed her. He bruised her up. He called her a ‘whore.’ He told her she doesn’t have a choice'” – Law and Crime.