Julie Stewart-Binks Accuses Fox Sports Exec of Sexual Assault in Lawsuit
Former Fox Sports reporter Julie Stewart-Binks has filed a lawsuit against the network, accusing a top executive of sexual assault. In legal documents submitted in Los Angeles on Friday, the 38-year-old journalist alleges that Fox Sports executive vice president Charlie Dixon assaulted her after a meeting at a hotel bar in January 2016.
According to the lawsuit, Stewart-Binks claims Dixon pushed her against a wall, restrained her arms, and attempted to forcefully kiss her. A Fox Sports spokesperson responded to the allegations, saying that the claims date back more than eight years and that the company had conducted a third-party investigation at the time, taking appropriate action based on its findings.
The lawsuit details an encounter at a hotel in Marina del Rey, California, where Stewart-Binks met with Dixon to discuss her role in covering the 2016 Super Bowl. She alleges that during the meeting, Dixon criticized her abilities, telling her that she was neither funny, interesting, nor talented and that she was incapable of handling high-profile television moments. He allegedly went further, stating that the only way people would watch her was if she got on top of the bar and took her top off, and that she was not attractive enough to be considered a "hot girl" on TV.
Following this exchange, Dixon allegedly changed his tone, ordering beers and inviting Stewart-Binks to his hotel room to drink while enjoying the balcony view. She claims she felt pressured to accept. Once on the balcony, she says Dixon suddenly pinned her against the wall, restrained her arms, and pressed his body against hers before attempting to kiss her. She asserts that despite keeping her mouth closed, Dixon persisted, licking her lips and moving one hand toward her chest. She eventually escaped and confided in a friend.
Fearing for her career—especially since her contract was up for renewal after the Super Bowl—Stewart-Binks says she felt the need to prove herself in Fox Sports 1’s new direction. She recalled that during an FS1 Super Bowl pop-up show, Jason Whitlock’s House Party By the Bay, she convinced Patriots star Rob Gronkowski to give her a lap dance in a segment that went viral.
She explained that she had been told she was not capable of handling a moment like that on television and that she was not interesting, funny, talented, or smart. She felt the need to prove that she belonged and was willing to take risks.
Despite her efforts, Fox Sports chose not to renew her contract the following month, ending her four-year tenure with the network.
Stewart-Binks has since worked at ESPN, Barstool Sports, and CBC. She currently serves as a reporter for SNY and the PWHL, as well as a host for the BetRivers Sportsbook Network.
Her lawsuit comes just weeks after another Fox Sports employee, hairstylist Noushin Faraji, sued the company over workplace misconduct. Among her allegations, Faraji claims Dixon groped her and fired another employee for rejecting his advances.