Fox News has appointed a new general counsel. Lily Fu Claffee will assume the role, effective May 7, the New York-based company announced Friday.

Dianne Brandi, Fox News' embattled executive vice president of legal and business affairs, “will remain on voluntary personal leave,” the company said.

As of October 2017, Brandi had been named in at least four lawsuits against the news network, amid the highly publicized ousters of its former CEO Roger Ailes and host Bill O'Reilly. The suits claimed Brandi failed to properly investigate claims of sexual harassment and discrimination. Brandi has denied these allegations.

Brandi has been on leave since October, as the company faced probes from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. But BuzzFeed reported earlier this year that Brandi, who is said to have been close to Ailes, still may be doing work for Fox News. 

Litigation against the company is ongoing, though it's unclear whether the probes from the federal government are still in progress.

A spokesperson for Fox News did not comment on whether Brandi is expected to return to the company.

Claffee, who was not made available for an interview, most recently worked as the senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a role she began in 2010.

According to Fox News' announcement, Claffee managed corporate, governance, compliance and litigation matters for the Chamber and its 450 employees, including lawyers, lobbyists, and policy and media specialists. She was also executive vice president at the U.S. Chamber Litigation Center, the organization's public policy litigation arm. 

“Lily has a distinguished legal career in both the private sector and in public service. We are pleased to add her extensive experience to our legal affairs team,” said Fox News co-president Jack Abernethy, in Friday's hire announcement.

In the announcement, Claffee said, “I look forward to embarking on this new and exciting role at an iconic network like Fox News, especially as the media landscape continues to undergo historic growth and change.”

Prior to her work at the Chamber, Claffee was a partner in Jones Day's government regulations group. She also has worked for the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of Justice.

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