Just when Jennifer Eckhart was hoping to move forward after settling a years-long legal battle involving former Fox News anchor Ed Henry, she’s now dealing with a whole new set of headlines — and they’re not the kind anyone wants.
Arrest in Florida Sparks New Attention
The 34-year-old was arrested earlier this week in Palm Beach County, Florida, after an alleged domestic dispute with her boyfriend, Thomas Beasley.
According to police, the incident happened after Beasley told Eckhart he was ending their relationship.
Things reportedly escalated fast. The arrest affidavit says Eckhart started knocking things over in Beasley’s office, physically struck him, and became aggressive.
Even more concerning, Beasley showed police a video allegedly capturing Eckhart yelling, hitting him, grabbing and tearing his shirt, and demanding he delete the footage.
She was arrested around 1 p.m. on Wednesday and later released without having to post bail.
This Comes Just Weeks After She Settled Her Case Against Ed Henry
The arrest adds another layer of complexity to Eckhart’s public story, especially since it follows her June settlement in a high-profile lawsuit against Ed Henry.
You might remember that back in 2020, she accused Henry — her former colleague at Fox News — of rape.
He denied the accusations, claiming the two had been involved in a consensual, though “kinky,” relationship.
In her lawsuit, Eckhart claimed Henry restrained her with handcuffs and raped her in February 2017.
She also said she was later fired by Fox in retaliation for speaking out, and that Henry had shared explicit images of her as “revenge porn.”
Judge Tossed Out Claims Against Fox News
While Henry himself was fired by Fox News shortly after the allegations came to light, Eckhart’s claims that the network had ignored Henry’s behavior didn’t hold up in court.
Earlier this year, a judge dismissed the portion of the lawsuit that named Fox News as a defendant, stating there was no direct evidence the network knew what was going on before firing her.
Fox News said Eckhart was fired due to “performance deficiencies,” not in retaliation.
They argued that she hadn’t made her complaint about Henry until after she was let go.
The Alleged Relationship With Henry Was Complicated and Controversial
The lawsuit sparked massive media attention not only because of the seriousness of the claims but also due to the controversial nature of their alleged relationship.
Text messages filed in court showed explicit exchanges between the two, some just days after the alleged assault.
The messages included provocative and sexual language that Henry’s legal team claimed showed their interactions were consensual.
Henry’s attorneys argued that the texts showed mutual interest in rough, BDSM-style encounters, even citing that Eckhart had sent Henry a photo of a belt and made sexual comments about obedience and submission.
Eckhart Said the Legal Process Was Traumatizing
Despite all the back-and-forth and legal drama, the lawsuit finally settled in June.
The details of the agreement were not made public.
Afterward, Eckhart released a statement sharing how emotionally draining the five-year legal fight had been, calling it “exhaustive and retraumatizing.”
She said there were times she wasn’t sure she could get through it.
Life After Fox News and Legal Battles
Since her departure from Fox, Eckhart has tried to rebuild her life.
She launched a podcast called REINVENTED, where she focuses on themes like generational trauma and healing.
She also started a non-profit, The Reinvented Project, that provides trauma recovery support — including therapy involving animals.
Meanwhile, Ed Henry Has Moved On Too
As for Ed Henry, he landed a job at Newsmax after being fired by Fox in 2020.
His legal team has always maintained that Eckhart’s lawsuit was a misrepresentation of a consensual affair and accused her of “cherry-picking” texts to portray him in the worst light possible.
In the end, a judge ruled there wasn’t enough evidence to hold Fox News accountable, and both parties reached a settlement privately.