Abby Grossberg, a producer who worked on shows for Tucker Carlson and Maria Bartiromo, has been fired by Fox News.
Grossberg, prior to this development, had been placed on forced administrative leave after filing two lawsuits against the network. She claimed she was coerced and intimidated by Fox lawyers during preparations for her pre-trial deposition that was part of the ongoing legal battle between Fox and Dominion Voting Systems.
In recently-released court filings, Grossberg’s attorneys say she was fired on Friday because she “improperly disclosed information regarding the Dominion/Fox Lawsuit that the Company purportedly believed was privileged.”
Her attorneys added that Fox News continues to mask its “unlawful conduct” with the “pretextual” firing of Grossberg.
For its part, Fox denies any wrongdoing regarding its dealings with Grossberg and continues to dispute Dominion’s allegations vigorously.
Grossberg claimed that in September 2022, lawyers forced her to give misleading testimony, coaching her in a way such that she would avoid mentioning the names of prominent on-air talent and male executives, shielding them from any blame when it came to the matter of how Fox News covered false claims about the 2020 election.
She also claims an effort to place blame on her and Bartiromo was rooted in rampant misogyny and discrimination at the company.
In Monday’s filings, Grossberg also submitted an “errata sheet, “ a court filing used by witnesses to correct mistakes or inaccuracies during depositions. In this filing, Grossberg switched several of her answers from her September deposition in the Dominion case, including whether she trusted the producers she worked with at Fox News; she changed her answer from “yes” to “no.” She said in her revised comments that the producers are “activists, not journalists, and impose their political agendas on the programming.”
Fox News, in a statement to the New York Times, said that the company’s lawyers had advised Ms. Grossberg that “while she was free to file whatever legal claims she wished,” she was not allowed to disclose privileged information about the Dominion case. “We were clear that if she violated our instructions, Fox would take appropriate action, including termination.”
The spokesperson added that the company would continue to “vigorously defend” itself against Grossberg’s claims, “which are riddled with false allegations against Fox and our employees.”
One of Grossberg’s lawyers, Parisis G. Filippatos, said, “The frivolous litigation tactics by Fox News punctuate its blatant disregard for the law, which is further underscored by the company’s recent retaliatory firing of Ms. Grossberg.”
__
Update: Fox News has provided TVNewser with a full statement regarding the recent filings:
“Like most organizations, FOX News Media’s attorneys engage in privileged communications with our employees as necessary to provide legal advice. Last week, our attorneys advised Ms. Grossberg that, while she was free to file whatever legal claims she wished, she was in possession of our privileged information and was not authorized to disclose it publicly. We were clear that if she violated our instructions, Fox would take appropriate action including termination. Ms. Grossberg ignored these communications and chose to file her complaint without taking any steps to protect those portions containing Fox’s privileged information. We will continue to vigorously defend Fox against Ms. Grossberg’s unmeritorious legal claims, which are riddled with false allegations against Fox and our employees.”