Fox News agreed to pay $12 million to former Fox News producer Abby Grosberg, who accused the station of running a hostile and discriminatory workplace and coercing false testimony in depositions. .
Ms. Grossberg’s attorney, Parisis G. Phillipatos, said the settlement would allow Grossberg to file a lawsuit against Fox and those named in her complaint, including former host Tucker Carlson and some of his producers. He said all his claims were closed.
Grossberg’s attorneys filed a motion Friday in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York seeking to dismiss the remaining lawsuits against Fox in light of the settlement.
In a statement on Friday, Grossberg said he stands by his allegations, but said he was “encouraged that Fox News took me and my legal claims seriously.”
“Based on our discussion with FOX News today, we hope this resolution will be a positive step by the network regarding the treatment of women and minorities in the workplace,” she said.
A Fox spokesperson said in a statement on Friday, “We are pleased to have resolved this matter without further litigation.”
Carlson’s former senior executive producer Justin Wells, who was named in the complaint, said in a Twitter post: “We deny Mr. Grossberg’s allegations and allegations against Mr. Tucker Carlson and his team. Nonetheless, we are pleased that Fox has resolved this matter and that both sides can move forward.”
The Grossberg settlement is the latest in a string of legal battles involving Fox. In April, the company paid Dominion Voting Systems $787.5 million, which is believed to be the largest settlement in a defamation lawsuit. A few days later, FOX removed its most popular host, Tucker Carlson, from the show after concluding that he was forced to step down because the company’s upper management was more of a problem than talent.
Fox is facing a second defamation lawsuit by another voting technology company. Like Dominion, SmartMatic alleges that Fox willfully spread false information about its products and made unsubstantiated claims that it contributed to the 2020 election fraud.
Grossberg, 42, charges against Fox in part because of the Dominion scandal. In March, she filed a lawsuit in Delaware, claiming she was coerced into lying in her sworn testimony given by Fox in the case. Grossberg amended her witness testimony ahead of the Dominion trial, creating another hurdle for Fox’s legal team, which had already suffered a string of blows in pretrial rulings.
Grossberg also filed another lawsuit in New York accusing Fox and Carlson of condoning a culture of misogyny and sexual harassment. She said she was subjected to sexist and anti-Semitic harassment during her time as head of booking for Tucker Carlson Tonight.
Fox fired Grossberg four days after filing two lawsuits, saying in a statement at the time that Grossberg leaked privileged information about the Dominion case. She dismissed the Delaware lawsuit in May, but at the time her attorney planned to refile in New York, she said.
Grossberg joined Fox News in 2019 as a senior producer on host Maria Bartiromo. In August 2022, she joined Carlson’s team as Head of Bookings.
Grossberg said in his lawsuit that he found a workplace tainted with misogyny and harassment. There, she said male producers made openly sexist and vulgar jokes about her and her colleagues, and that the space was decorated with photographs of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. , in a swimsuit that showed her cleavage.
Grossberg never met Carlson, who worked mostly from home in Florida and Maine, but corresponded frequently by email, text message and video call. Mr. Carlson’s staff in New York was headed by senior executive producer Mr. Wells. (Mr. Wells was fired from Fox in April.)
After filing a lawsuit, Grossberg dripped audio recordings from his Fox days to other media organizations. The recording showed, among other things, Mr. Carlson’s immeasurability. impact About the Republican Party. Former President Donald J. Trump’s attorney, Rudy Giuliani, has admitted he has no evidence of voter fraud. There was also a discussion between Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ms. Bartiromo about his attempt to block President Biden’s election victory.
Grossberg’s attorney, Phillipatos, said he was contacted by the special counsel’s office investigating Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and that he and his client are working together. admitted. At least 90 tapes were recovered, and Grossberg’s legal team undertook a forensic analysis of all of Grossberg’s devices in case additional recordings were made, Filipatos said.
Grossberg said he would not comment further on the accusations against Fox or his time at the company, but “will continue to speak out on issues and causes that I believe in: journalism, equality, dignity and respect in the workplace.” ”
