Jennifer Eckhart, a former associate producer at Fox News whose 2020 lawsuit against former anchor Ed Henry brought her national attention, has died at the age of 36, TMZ.com has confirmed.
Eckhart died in Florida, according to a representative for the Martin County Medical Examiner's Office, which confirmed the death to TMZ.com. A heavy police presence was reported outside her Hope Sound home on Saturday morning, and local law enforcement stated that she appears to have died by suicide after being found dead inside the residence.
Eckhart's name became widely recognized after she filed a 2020 lawsuit accusing Henry of rape. In the legal filing, she alleged that Henry sexually assaulted her during the period when both were employed at the network, and she stated that she feared he possessed the influence to ruin her career. Henry denied the allegations and maintained that their relationship was consensual.
Fox News terminated Henry in July 2020 after receiving Eckhart's complaint and conducting an internal investigation into the matter.
The litigation continued for several years. Eckhart ultimately reached a settlement with Henry in 2024, resolving her claims against him shortly before the case was scheduled to proceed to trial.
Eckhart also named Fox News as a defendant in the lawsuit, alleging that the network failed to shield her from Henry and did not adequately discipline him for the conduct she described. Those claims were dismissed, and a federal appeals court affirmed that ruling in April 2025, determining that Fox had no knowledge of Henry's alleged conduct prior to Eckhart coming forward.
In subsequent public remarks about the allegations, Eckhart said she had been "paralyzed by fear" while working at Fox.
Eckhart was 36 years old at the time of her death.
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Ava Hart
Ava Hart is a pop culture junkie and loves to share what's happening in Hollywood and what trends are taking the world by storm.
