Former Fox Sports Anchor Sues Network Over Alleged Sexual Assault

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Former Fox Sports anchor and reporter Julie Stewart-Binks filed a lawsuit Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleging that Fox Sports executive vice president Charlie Dixon sexually assaulted her in 2016 while she was working at the network. The lawsuit also accuses Fox of failing to address her complaints, allowing Dixon to remain in a position of power for nearly a decade.

According to the complaint, Dixon pushed Stewart-Binks against a wall, pinned her arms, and forcibly kissed her in January 2016 following a meeting to discuss an upcoming Super Bowl assignment. Stewart-Binks alleges she later reported his conduct to a Fox human resources representative, but the network “egregiously made the deliberate decision to protect Dixon and allow a sexual predator to remain an executive at Fox for nearly a decade.”

The lawsuit against Fox and Dixon follows a separate complaint filed earlier this month by Noushin Faraji, a former hairstylist at the network. Faraji alleges that Dixon groped her at a co-worker’s birthday party in January 2017. Dixon did not respond to multiple messages seeking comment. Fox Sports said in a statement: “These allegations are from over eight years ago. At the time, we promptly hired a third-party firm to investigate and addressed the matter based on their findings.”

Stewart-Binks, who worked at FS1 from its launch in 2013 until 2016, alleges that Dixon invited her to a hotel bar in Marina Del Rey, Calif., to discuss her role on Jason Whitlock’s pop-up show for the 2016 Super Bowl. Instead of discussing logistics, Dixon allegedly berated her, saying, “You’re not funny, interesting, or talented,” and suggested the only way someone would watch her was if she “got on top of this bar and took your top off.”

Dixon later asked Stewart-Binks to come to his hotel room for a beer and to see the view from his balcony. Stewart-Binks felt she could not refuse because he was her boss. Once in the room, Dixon allegedly pushed her against a wall, pinned her arms, and forcibly kissed her. Stewart-Binks fled the room and called a friend to disclose what happened. She decided against reporting the incident at the time, fearing it would jeopardize her career.

Days later, Stewart-Binks was in San Francisco working on Whitlock’s Super Bowl show. During a production meeting, a producer encouraged her to coax New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski into performing a “Magic Mike”-style dance for a viral moment. Stewart-Binks participated, but the segment drew widespread criticism, with many accusing her of setting back women in sports journalism.

Stewart-Binks alleges that her participation in the segment was influenced by Dixon’s earlier assault and his criticism of her abilities. “I was told … that I was not capable of being able to do a moment like this on television,” she said. “And so I felt the need to prove that I was all in.”

In March 2016, Stewart-Binks was informed that her contract would not be renewed. She later disclosed the alleged assault to a Fox HR representative in June 2017, but Dixon remained at the company. Stewart-Binks has since worked in smaller roles for ESPN, CBC, and other outlets, but she believes the incident has impacted her career trajectory.

“I had a different view of what my life would be like than what it is,” Stewart-Binks said. “And I’m very grateful for everything I have. But sometimes I think … well, what could my life have been had this not happened?”