Among the dozens of Fox News employees deposed in Dominion Voting Systems’s $1.6 billion defamation suit against the network was Abby Grossberg, a TV producer who has worked with hosts Maria Bartiromo and Tucker Carlson. During her deposition last September, as revealed in recent court filings, Grossberg was asked if she cared whether claims made on Bartiromo’s show were true, to which she answered “no.” And asked whether she felt it was important to correct falsehoods made on the air, she gave the same response.
Fast-forward six months later, and Grossberg is now saying that she would have answered such questions differently had she not been “coached by and intimidated by” Fox News lawyers prior to being deposed, according to a pair of lawsuits that Grossberg filed against the company on Monday. Making claims of both discrimination and a hostile workplace, the producer alleges in the suit that Fox lawyers “coerced, intimidated, and misinformed her” in deposition prep sessions. “The lawyers, she said, gave her the impression that she had to avoid mentioning prominent male executives and on-air talent to protect them from any blame, while putting her own reputation at risk,” the New York Times reports, an approach that she claims was rooted in misogyny and discrimination. During her deposition prep sessions, Grossberg also alleges, Fox lawyers “were displeased with her being too candid” and took extra time “to make sure she got her story straight and in line with [Fox’s] position,” per the Washington Post, which notes that she was specifically urged to give general answers, such as “I do not recall.”
Since March 2021, Dominion had been steeped in a lawsuit with Fox over its 2020 election coverage, when the network amplified election lies pushed by Donald Trump and his allies. Dominion has argued that Fox knowingly promoted false claims about the company’s role in the election for the sake of juicing ratings and profits, while Fox has argued that they were merely reporting on newsworthy claims by a sitting president.
Earlier on Monday, before Grossberg filed her suits, Fox filed a complaint against Grossberg in an effort to silence her from disclosing conversations she had with the company’s lawyers ahead of her deposition, the Daily Beast reported. In their request for a restraining order, Fox lawyers wrote that Grossberg “proved unable to perform adequately” following a recent promotion and had been given a written warning, according to the Post. “Ms. Grossberg has threatened to disclose Fox’s attorney-client privileged information and we filed a temporary restraining order to protect our rights,” a Fox News spokesperson said in a statement to Vanity Fair.
In her suit, Grossbergs specifically names Carlson and members of his team as defendants, and details various examples of alleged sexism and workplace harassment. The lawsuit states that there were images of former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in “a plunging bathing suit revealing her cleavage” plastered around the Manhattan workplace of Tucker Carlson Tonight. The lawsuit also states that “staffers were polled—on two separate occasions—on which of two female candidates for Michigan governor they would rather have Sex with,” according to NPR. Grossberg told the Times on Monday that the culture at Fox News is one that doesn’t “respect or value women.”
“FOX News Media engaged an independent outside counsel to immediately investigate the concerns raised by Ms. Grossberg, which were made following a critical performance review,” Fox News said in a statement. “Her allegations in connection with the Dominion case are baseless and we will vigorously defend Fox against all of her claims.”
Grossberg’s allegations come at a time when internal communications and disputes have spilled out into public view as part of Dominion’s case, including instances in which top personnel expressed skepticism about the claims they were espousing to viewers. A Delaware judge will hear arguments from Fox and Dominion on Tuesday, when both sides will try to convince Superior Court Judge Eric Davis to declare them the winner before the case goes to trial next month, as the Wall Street Journal reports.