Fox News settles lawsuits brought by former employee for $12 million, attorney says
Fox News has settled two lawsuits brought by a former employee for $12 million, according to a statement issued on Friday by the employee's attorney.
abcnews.go.com
She accused Fox News of fostering a "toxic atmosphere victimizing women."
ByOlivia Rubin
June 30, 2023, 12:44 PM
National headlines from ABC News
Fox News has settled a pair of lawsuits brought by a former employee for $12 million, according to a statement issued on Friday by the employee's attorney, marking the latest settlement for the network as it faces a series of legal challenges.
Former Fox News producer Abby Grossberg, a senior booker who worked with Maria Bartiromo and Tucker Carlson, had filed two lawsuits accusing the network of fostering a "toxic atmosphere victimizing women" and claiming its legal team "coerced, intimidated, and misinformed" her as it battled the lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting systems.
MORE: Fox settlement a 'big step forward in democracy,' Dominion CEO says in exclusive ABC News interview
The settlement comes just two months after the network settled the defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems for a record breaking $787.5 million.
In a statement, Grossberg said she was "heartened that Fox News has taken me and my legal claims seriously."
"While I stand by my publicly filed claims and allegations, in light of today's settlement of $12 million, pursuant to which I have now withdrawn those claims, I am heartened that Fox News has taken me and my legal claims seriously," Grossberg said. "I am hopeful, based on our discussions with Fox News today, that this resolution represents a positive step by the Network regarding its treatment of women and minorities in the workplace."
A Fox spokesperson said Friday, "We are pleased that we have been able to resolve this matter without further litigation."
A view of Fox News headquarters in New York, Feb. 17, 2020.
SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Fox News had previously denied Grossberg's claims, calling her suits "riddled with false allegations."
As part of her suits, which were filed in New York and Delaware, Grossberg said that Fox News lawyers "conditioned and coerced" her to offer responses meant to obfuscate or minimize her knowledge of the network's inner workings in preparation for her deposition as part of Dominion Voting Systems' suit against the network.
"Ms. Grossberg felt sick to her stomach with fear, uncertainty, and confusion when she realized what her employer wanted her to do under oath and felt incredibly alone and powerless," Grossberg's lawyers wrote.
Grossberg's lawsuits also took issue with Fox News' alleged treatment of its employees, describing it as an environment where "female workers are verbally violated on almost a daily basis by a poisonous and entrenched patriarchy."
Attachments
-
1688167950025.gif
