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Boston Globe Files Lawsuit Against Ex-Employee Who Claimed Editor Sent Inappropriate Text

BOSTON (CBS) – The Boston Globe is going to court to force a former employee to share more information about what she says was an inappropriate text message from the newspaper's top editor.

Earlier this week, former Boston.com editor Hilary Sargent tweeted a screenshot of a text message exchange. She says it was Globe Editor Brian McGrory who texted her "What do you generally wear when you write?"

It's not clear when the text message was sent. McGrory said in a staff memo that he did not remember the exchange but did reveal that he and Sargent had dated before they worked together.

The Globe said in a statement Friday that it wants to find out if the text message exchange happened when Sargent was working for the company.

"We have been diligently investigating so as to understand the nature of all exchanges and interactions between Mr. McGrory and Ms. Sargent that occurred during the course of her employment," The Globe stated. "Understanding whether this exchange took place while Ms. Sargent was an employee is a critical first step."

The Globe said Sargent signed a separation agreement when she left the company, which obligates her to cooperate with any investigations relating to her employment.

This isn't the only lawsuit Sargent might face. WGBH's Emily Rooney tweeted a letter from McGrory's personal lawyer, calling Sargent's tweets "defamatory" and "falsely suggesting that Mr. McGrory had engaged in workplace sexual harassment."

Sargent has not offered clarification on the timing of the text messages, but tweeted a statement saying that "Women deserve to be treated professionally and taken seriously."

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