July 8 (Reuters) - Lawyers for Fox News chairman Roger Ailes on Friday asked a federal judge to halt former anchor Gretchen Carlson's sexual harassment lawsuit against him, and send the case to arbitration.

In a filing with the federal court in Newark, New Jersey, Ailes' lawyers said Carlson's contract with the network had required her to arbitrate any disputes over her employment, and not sue, as she did on Wednesday, in New Jersey Superior Court.

"Plaintiff's ploy of filing in Superior Court to justify her shameless publicity campaign against Roger Ailes should not be countenanced," Ailes' lawyers said.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Chris Reese)

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