Joe Benigno is taking a leave from WFAN.
Joe Benigno will not return to the air Monday after all.
The longtime WFAN midday show co-host has taken a leave following allegations of sexual harassment made in a shocking lawsuit filed last week by a former CBS Radio advertising executive.
Benigno was on vacation this past week and was expected to return to work as scheduled next week, but an internal memo obtained by Newsday said Benigno “initially will be on leave while we work through this matter carefully, to avoid any potential distraction from the great sports talk content our listeners, advertisers and community expect us to deliver each day.”
The WFAN on-air schedule for next week says Benigno’s co-host, Evan Roberts, will be flying solo for another week. The schedule had previously included Benigno, a Mahwah resident, but has since been changed.
In the lawsuit, the former ad executive, Lauren Lockwood, alleges WFAN and CBS Radio had an alcohol-fueled “Animal House” culture in its offices that resulted in “flagrant sexual harassment, gender bias, unequal pay, unequal terms of commission, targeting of complainants and retaliation as well as protection and concealment of favored male talent’s sexual misconduct.”
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The lawsuit also alleges Benigno, a 64-year-old Mahwah resident, “often came over to plaintiff’s cubicle to flirt with her and ask her personal questions” and “commented inappropriately about plaintiff’s physical appearance, her hair, jewelry and clothing.”
The lawsuit then specifically alleges Benigno of seeking “threesomes” with Lockwood, who sold ads for CBS Radio and the Yankees Radio Network, that would have included Benigno, his wife and prostitutes, as well as showing Lockwood “a nude photo of his wife with a prostitute.”
The lawsuit also alleges Benigno made sexually-charged comments about other women in the office and had a two-year affair with a female subordinate.
Benigno has not commented publicly since the lawsuit was filed, but his agent and attorney have denied the allegations. Entercom, WFAN’s parent company, has said it plans to contest the lawsuit.
James Kratch may be reached at jkratch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JamesKratch. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.
http://www.nj.com/sports/index.ssf/2018/07/joe_benignos_wfan_return_put_off_following_sexual.html