A former Tucker Carlson producer is now accusing Fox Information of retaliation after the community fired her on Friday following her lawsuit alleging a hostile work setting.
Abby Grossberg, as soon as a senior reserving producer for Fox host Maria Bariromo earlier than turning into Carlson’s head of reserving, filed amended complaints on Monday alleging the community’s attorneys coerced her into giving inaccurate testimony in her deposition to Dominion Voting Techniques. Dominion is presently suing Fox for defamation, looking for $1.6 billion over its protection of the 2020 election.
In her newest filings in New York and Delaware courts, Grossberg particulars extra claims of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation in opposition to her and different feminine staff at Fox Information. Moreover, she asks to right her Sept. 14 deposition, claiming she was unable to see a transcript of her Dominion testimony till after it was a part of the court docket report regardless of quite a few requests on her half.
Claiming that male colleagues have been in a position to see their transcripts and make corrections, Grossberg asserts that she was solely in a position to evaluate and proper her personal testimony solely after retaining her personal authorized workforce. She additionally accuses Fox Information attorneys of pressuring her to downplay the function that TV rankings had within the community’s decision-making on the time it was pushing election-fraud lies, whereas additionally offering cowl for male executives.
“Based mostly on what I understood and took away from the deposition preparation periods I had with Fox’s authorized workforce which have been coercive and intimidating,” Grossberg said in her amended Delaware criticism. “I felt that I needed to do every little thing doable to keep away from turning into the ‘star witness’ for Dominion or else I’d be severely jeopardizing my profession at Fox Information and can be subjected to worse phrases and circumstances of employment than male staff as I understood it.”
Grossberg dove deeper into her claims that Fox’s authorized workforce coached her earlier than and through the deposition, claiming they might repeatedly say “who actually can/does recall something” and subsequently “fraudulently inducing her to disclaim info she knew to exist.” Moreover, she mentioned she was influenced to not reveal how quick staffing on Bartiromo’s present could have led to this system disregarding emailed warnings about pushing falsehoods relating to Dominion’s voting techniques. As a substitute, Grossberg alleges she was pushed to recommend that “nothing fell by way of the cracks” at Fox.
“I didn’t perceive on the time, as I had not been made conscious by Fox, that the assertion ‘I don’t recall’ is doubtlessly perjurious,” she wrote in her amended Delaware submitting on Monday. “I additionally understood and took away from my deposition preparation periods with Fox’s authorized workforce that I wanted to maintain my solutions artificially basic and if it received to any questions on particulars, attempt to dodge the query by saying ‘I don’t recall.’”
In her amended New York criticism, Grossberg mentioned the Fox attorneys pressured her to say {that a} taped Rudy Giuliani phase in Nov. 2020—which featured the ex-Trump attorneys peddling bogus election fraud claims—was “stay to tape” and couldn’t have been edited previous to airing. In accordance with textual content messages with then-senior vice chairman of weekend information David Clark, nevertheless, Grossberg mentioned the interview was pre-taped and Clark determined to air it anyway.
Fox Information positioned Grossberg on compelled administrative go away on the identical day her lawsuits have been filed final Monday. The community additionally tried to preemptively block her complaints, claiming attorney-client privilege. After pulling again the preliminary try and silence a part of Grossberg’s lawsuit, the community misplaced its effort to redact parts of her filings.
On Friday, Fox Information fired Grossberg, citing her disclosure of privileged firm data.
“Like most organizations, Fox Information Media’s attorneys interact in privileged communications with our staff as needed to supply authorized recommendation,” a Fox Information spokesperson mentioned concerning the termination. “Final week, our attorneys suggested Ms. Grossberg that, whereas she was free to file no matter authorized claims she wished, she was in possession of our privileged data and was not licensed to reveal it publicly. We have been clear that if she violated our directions, Fox would take applicable motion together with termination. Ms. Grossberg ignored these communications and selected to file her criticism with out taking any steps to guard these parts containing Fox’s privileged data. We are going to proceed to vigorously defend Fox in opposition to Ms. Grossberg’s unmeritorious authorized claims, that are riddled with false allegations in opposition to Fox and our staff.”
Grossberg’s attorneys, in the meantime, mentioned the firing was additional proof of Fox Information’ vengeance in direction of their consumer.
“The frivolous litigation ways by Fox Information punctuate its blatant disregard for the legislation, which is additional underscored by the Firm’s current retaliatory firing of Ms. Grossberg,” lead counsel Parisis G. Filippatos mentioned in a press release.
“Fox Information is accused of failing to guard Ms. Grossberg’s rights to get pleasure from a office freed from illegal conduct, together with bullying or coercion when offering sworn testimony. We stand prepared to make sure that the legislation steps in the place Fox has failed,” Filippatos’s companion Tanvir H. Rahman added.