Fox News producer accuses network of setting it up to take the blame in ‘Dominion’ case

In two lawsuits, one filed in New York and the other in Delaware, Fox News producer Abby Grossberg accused the network of setting her up to be defeated in an ongoing defamation lawsuit filed against her by Dominion. Voting Systems.

In the lawsuit, details of which were published in the New York Times, Grossberg says she was “coerced and intimidated” by Fox News lawyers before she testified in the Dominion case last September. The network’s goal, she said, was to get her and Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo, who Grossberg was working for at the time, to take the blame for spreading false conspiracy theories claiming the Dominion had somehow rigged the election. 2020.

And in what is now a familiar turn of events for the news channel’s lawsuits, Grossberg also said she personally witnessed several instances of sexist and anti-Semitic behavior by fellow Fox News employees.

Fox News, for its part, filed a counterclaim on Monday seeking to bar it from discussing what it says is a lawyer-client discussion. Grossberg was also placed on administrative leave after filing the lawsuits, according to The New York Times.

Grossberg has worked on the Bartiromo show in 2020 during the election and in 2021; in 2022 Tonight she became Tucker Carlson’s Senior Bookie. Grossberg says the network understaffed Bartiromo’s show and argues that this made it impossible to verify the false allegations of election fraud that often featured on the show.

Last September, according to The New York Times, Grossberg said during her testimony at the Dominion trial that she didn’t care if the statements she aired were true or false, “because we didn’t know whether they were true or false at that moment.” time.” She also said she didn’t feel obligated to correct the false claims later. Grossberg now says she reacted this way because she was “coached and intimidated” by Fox lawyers and was urged to downplay the company’s male executive that, according to her, was part of the sexist pattern on the web.

Grossberg claims she witnessed Fox News executives calling Bartiromo a “crazy bitch” and “climacteric.” After she moved on to The Tucker Carlson Show, she says she immediately witnessed sexist jokes and was asked about Bartiromo’s sex life. She also says that Carlson’s staff often made sexist and anti-Semitic jokes.

In a statement provided to TheWrap, Fox News said it “has hired an independent outside legal advisor to immediately investigate the concerns raised by Ms. Grossberg following the performance critique.” We will vigorously defend these claims.”

Regarding the counterclaim, Fox News also stated, “Ms. Grossberg threatened to disclose confidential information of Fox’s attorney and client, and we have filed a temporary restraining order to protect our rights.”