Former contractor alleges Vice Media pushed her to leave after she reported assault

A woman who did freelance work for Vice Media filed a lawsuit against the company on Friday claiming she was pushed out her job after she was sexually assaulted while on assignment, NBC News reported.

The woman, Saher Shakir, says she was on assignment in Algiers in April 2016 when she was sexually assaulted outside a soccer stadium. She said higher-ups at Vice blamed her for the attack, and later forced her out of her job, NBC reported.

NBC reported that it had spoken to some of Shakir’s co-workers prior to the lawsuit being filed. Employees said Shakir was hesitant to speak about the incident out of fear it would threaten her job. 

{mosads}Shakir and her attorney declined to comment on the lawsuit to NBC.

Vice told NBC News in a statement before the lawsuit was filed that the company determined prior to the incident that Shakir and other employees should not attend the soccer match.

“The team in the field made an unfortunate judgment call, and she attended,” Vice said in a statement.

“The assault that occurred was reprehensible, and the company covered the cost of counseling sessions,” the company said. “Saher worked on a freelance basis, and the end of her work with Vice was unrelated to this incident.”

Vice has faced scrutiny in recent months after a New York Times report in December quoted current and former employees saying the company fostered an environment of harassment toward women.

The report also revealed the company paid multiple settlements in the past due to sexual misconduct and defamation.