TOPLINE
Former Fox News producer Abby Grossberg reportedly settled two lawsuits against the cable network and its ousted but highly-rated host Tucker Carlson for $12 million on Tuesday, after Grossberg alleged she was harassed at the network and sued Fox for allegedly forcing her to give misleading testimony in Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation case against the network.
KEY FACTS
Fox News will pay Grossberg $12 million, according to her attorney Parisis Filippatos, multiple outlets reported, after she accused Fox attorneys of coercing her into giving false statements during Dominion’s defamation case, which was settled in April for $787.5 million.
A spokesperson for Fox told the New York Times an “independent outside counsel” was investigating the allegations.
Grossberg, who produced for Carlson and Fox anchor Maria Bartiromo, also accused the network of misogynistic behavior, and claimed Fox leadership was sexist toward Bartiromo, calling her a “crazy bitch.”
In a statement, a Fox News spokesperson said the network is “pleased that we have been able to resolve this matter without further litigation.”
CRUCIAL QUOTE
Grossberg wrote in a statement on Friday she stands by the allegations she made against the network but felt “heartened that Fox News has taken me and my legal claims seriously,” adding she’s hopeful the settlement “represents a positive step by the network regarding its treatment of women and minorities in the workplace.”
TANGENT
Dominion’s last-minute, $787.5 million settlement with Fox News came just days before the case was set to go to trial. The election voting machine manufacturer sued Fox for $1.6 billion in March 2021, accusing the network of pushing false statements about the machines after former President Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 presidential election, a claim Trump made repeatedly in the months after the election. Delaware Supreme Court Judge Eric Davis had earlier issued a summary judgment, finding Fox’s on-air election machine claims were false, while court documents revealed several big-name Fox hosts, including Carlson, Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity, knew the claims weren’t true.
Forbes
