Bill O’Reilly calls for ‘loser pays’ law to prevent people from filing sexual harassment lawsuits

His boss has been sued by former news presenter Gretchen Carlson

The news show host said he backs his embattled boss '100 per cent' (Getty Images)

Fox news host Bill O’Reilly has called for the US to adopt the English legal model of “losers pay” to prevent people from filing “frivolous” sexual harassment lawsuits.

In an interview with Seth Meyers, Mr O’Reilly was referring to the sexual harassment lawsuit brought by former Fox host Gretchen Carlson against the chairman and CEO of Fox, Roger Ailes.

“Until the United States adopts the English system of civil law, whereby if you file a frivolous lawsuit and you lose, the judge has a right to make you pay all court costs - until we adopt that very fair proposition, we’re going to have this out of control, tabloid society that is tremendously destructive,” he said.

“I stand behind Roger 100 per cent.”

Mr Ailes, 76, had been accused by Ms Carlson, who worked at the network for 11 years, as “sexist” and would ogle her, ask her to turn around so he could look at her, and asked her to engage in a sexual relationship to solve their “work-related issues”.

But Mr O’Reilly said “95 per cent” of people who had worked for Mr Ailes would disagree with those statements.

“I’ve worked for Roger Ailes for twenty years, alright? Best boss I’ve ever had. Straight shooter, always honest with me,” he said.

His comments were backed up by Fox News producer Greta Van Susteren, who accused Ms Carlson of being a “disgruntled employee” after the network did not renew her contract and she was terminated in June.

“I've often been alone with Roger Ailes in his office over the course of 15 years and I've never seen anything like what I'm reading about in the papers and the magazine,” she told People.

Mr O'Reilly said that “every famous, powerful or wealthy individual is a target”.

“You’re a target,” he said, pointing at Mr Myers. ”I’m a target. Any time, somebody could come out, and sue us, attack us, go to the press or anything like that.

"And that’s a deplorable situation, because, I mean, I have to have body guards.”

Mr O’Reilly was sued himself for $60 million for sexual harassment by former producer Andrea Mackris who worked with him between 2002 and 2004.

He had been accused of sending lewd messages, and he filed an extortion suit against Ms Mackris.

He later dropped that suit and settled the case for an undisclosed figure.

The O’Reilly Factor host also hit the headlines recently after he lost custody of his children to his ex-wife, whom he was accused of dragging by the neck down the stairs in front of his daughter.

Mr O’Reilly denied the accusations.