Explosive Legal Battle Unfolds: Ed Henry’s Text Messages Revealed Amid Sexual Assault Allegations

Shocking new legal filings have exposed explicit text exchanges between former Fox News anchor Ed Henry and a young female staffer who has accused him of sexual assault. These messages, which Henry’s legal team claims prove a consensual relationship, could upend the case and challenge the narrative presented in the lawsuit.

A Legal Firestorm: Allegations vs. Evidence

In a 2020 lawsuit, former Fox Business associate producer Jennifer Eckhart, 34, accused Henry, 53, of manipulating, coercing, and ultimately raping her in 2017. However, in a dramatic twist, Henry’s attorneys have now released a trove of text messages between the two, arguing that their interactions were entirely consensual.

Screenshots from Henry’s latest legal filing include messages from Eckhart just days after the alleged assault, in which she wrote, “I want… you don’t?” and “Come here and take off my bikini.” The filing also details explicit exchanges and alleged nude photos she sent Henry in the weeks following the encounter.

The Fight Over Context and Consent

Henry’s legal team asserts that these messages and images paint a vastly different picture from the accusations. According to them, Eckhart’s lawsuit deliberately cherry-picked portions of their conversations to frame Henry as an abuser, omitting messages that show her engaging enthusiastically in their interactions.

One text allegedly sent by Eckhart reads: “You NEED my 26-year-old body.” Another refers to Henry’s preference for dominance, with Eckhart allegedly texting that she would “always be obedient.”

Henry’s attorneys claim that their relationship was ongoing and consensual, stating that they exchanged sexually explicit texts for months after the alleged assault.

More Accusations and a Tarnished Reputation

Eckhart is not the only woman to raise allegations against Henry. Another anonymous Fox News staffer has come forward, claiming she was in a secret relationship with Henry, which she later described as emotionally abusive. She also alleged that during one encounter, Henry “slapped me in the face harder than I wanted, and I immediately cried.”

Henry, who was fired by Fox News in July 2020, maintains his innocence and has publicly celebrated the court’s decision to release these text messages. “The truth is finally coming out,” Henry told DailyMail.com, insisting that the allegations against him are “malicious and defamatory.”

The Legal Battle Continues

Despite the explosive new evidence, Eckhart’s legal team remains steadfast, stating: “Mr. Henry was not Ms. Eckhart’s only victim.” They maintain confidence that the jury will rule in her favor, arguing that “all the evidence supports her claims.”

Relationship Under Scrutiny

Henry’s legal team argues that Eckhart deliberately omitted key parts of their text conversations in her lawsuit to make her allegations appear more damning. They claim that many of the messages she presented as evidence were heavily redacted, cutting out exchanges that allegedly showed mutual consent and enthusiasm.

One particularly revealing text message that Henry’s defense cites is from Eckhart, in which she allegedly wrote:

“You NEED my 26-year-old body.”
“I’ll always be obedient and ready to serve you.”

Henry’s lawyers argue that their interactions included discussions about dominant-submissive dynamics, with Eckhart actively engaging in them. The legal team also pointed out that Eckhart had sent Henry a photo of a belt, which they claim was meant to signal a preference for rough intimacy.

Henry, who has been married to NPR’s chief editor Shirley Henry since 2010, insists that while their encounters were explicit, they were entirely consensual and involved role-playing, not coercion or assault.

More Accusations and a Murky Legal Battle

While the texts appear to challenge Eckhart’s narrative, she is not the only woman who has accused Henry of inappropriate behavior. Another former Fox News employee, whose identity remains anonymous, has also submitted a legal statement describing her own experiences with Henry.

In her sworn declaration, the unnamed woman claims she had a secret relationship with Henry for several years, which she later characterized as “emotionally abusive.” She described one incident in which Henry “slapped me in the face harder than I wanted, and I immediately cried.”

However, she also admitted that their relationship was consensual overall and that Henry had apologized for the incident once he realized she was upset.

Henry has denied all allegations of misconduct and maintains that he has been unfairly targeted in what he describes as a “malicious and defamatory” legal battle.

Henry told DailyMail.com: ‘I am delighted that the judge has ordered the evidence to be made public proving my innocence of these false allegations’

Eckhart added new complaints to the filing last month, alleging that Henry had an inappropriate relationship with another unspecified Fox co-worker.

Fox’s co-worker filed her own statement, stating their relationship was consensual, in which she referred to Henry as her “boyfriend” but claimed Henry was “emotionally abusive.”

Eckhart claims that Fox knew about Henry’s abusive behavior and promoted him instead of disciplining him. The network said it only found out when she filed a legal complaint on June 25, 2020.

‘I have maintained my innocence from the beginning and always said the truth would prevail, and now it has been over four years,’ Henry told DailyMail.com in a statement on Monday.

‘I am delighted that the judge has ordered the public disclosure of the evidence proving my innocence of these false accusations.’

He asserted that Eckhart’s story “has always been a lie, and with the judge ordering the release of this exculpatory information, everyone can see that the allegations against me are false and stem from clear malice and are actually defamatory.”

A spokesperson for Eckhart told DailyMail.com that she “was not Mr Henry’s only victim and that he has also been accused of sexually assaulting another colleague at Fox News.”

‘All attempts by Mr Henry to have this case dismissed have failed,’ the spokesman added. ‘We are more confident than ever that when all the evidence is considered by a jury, Ms Eckhart will prevail.

‘In fact, Ms. Eckhart was the one who produced numerous text messages as evidence to support her claim because she had nothing to hide, and all the evidence supported her claim.’