Fox News Settles Lawsuit With Ex-‘Tucker Carlson’ Producer Abby Grossberg For $12 Million

Ted Johnson
·4 min read
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Fox News has settled a lawsuit filed by a former producer for Tucker Carlson Tonight who claimed harassment based on her gender and Jewish religion, and that she was coerced in deposition testimony in the Dominion litgation.

Attorneys for Abby Grossberg said that network settled the case for $12 million.

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A Fox News spokesperson said in a statement, “We are pleased that we have been able to resolve this matter without further litigation.”

Grossberg’s lawsuit landed shortly before Fox News was scheduled to go to trial in Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation lawsuit. In her litigation, filed in New York federal court and in Delaware, Grossberg, who also had been on the staff of Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo, claimed that she was coerced by Fox News’ legal team into giving misleading deposition testimony as the network defended itself in the case. Her testimony could have factored in the defamation trial, but Fox settled the case with Dominion for $787.5 million.

Grossberg had dozens of audio recordings of her time at the network, some of which surfaced in the weeks before the Dominion defamation trial was scheduled to begin. Her attorney continued to release them after the Dominion settlement, including one from Jan. 2, 2021 in which Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), in a conversation with Grossberg and Bartiromo, discusses efforts to block congressional certification of electoral college results.

Grossberg also claimed she was retaliated against after she complained about unlawful harassment based on her gender and Jewish religion. She alleged that she was subjected to harassment by Alexander McCaskill and Justin Wells, then producers on Tucker Carlson Tonight. McCaskill and Wells also were named as defendants in the lawsuit, as was Carlson. Since then, Fox News dropped Carlson’s show, and McCaskill and Wells exited as well.

The lawsuit chronicled instances of what she described as a “toxic workplace culture,” with large images of Nancy Pelosi “in a plunging bathing suit revealing her cleavage” posted onto Grossberg’s computer and in other spots in the office. She claimed that the staff at Carlson’s show frequently engaged in group discussions, led by Mr. McCaskill, in which misogynistic views of women as objects to be judged solely based on their appearance were broadcasted.” In one instance, her lawsuit claimed, there was a discussion of whether Tudor Dixon, a GOP candidate for governor, was “hotter and more f—able” than the incumbent, Gretchen Whitmer.

In a statement posted on Twitter, Wells said, “We deny Ms. Grossberg’s claims and allegations against Tucker Carlson and his team. Nevertheless, we are glad that Fox has settled this matter and that all sides can move forward.”

After filing her lawsuit, Grossberg gave interviews to NBC News and other outlets to talk about her lawsuit, coming in the midst of wide coverage of the Dominion litigation. Fox News fired Grossberg shortly after she filed her lawsuit, claiming that she was in possession of privileged information and was not authorized to disclose it. The network also said then that her lawsuit was “riddled with false allegations against Fox and our employees.” Grossberg’s attorney characterized her dismissal as an act of retaliation.

In a statement on Friday, Grossberg said, “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. 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.

She added, “I will not comment further on my publicly filed disputes with Fox, but will continue to speak out on issues and causes that I believe in, including journalism, equality, dignity, and respect in the workplace.”

Her attorney, Parisis Filippatos, said, “I am certain that we will hear much from Abby in the future once she has taken some much-needed personal time to process the momentous events in her life over the past few years.”

This week, Fox News announced a new primetime lineup, with Jesse Watters Primetime filling Carlson’s former 8 p.m. ET time slot. The network reportedly let go the remaining staffers on Carlson’s show.

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