Has to be Fux Propaganda....

Fox News producer sues network, alleges she was set up

The producer, Abby Grossberg, formerly worked at KGO-TV in San Francisco

Alec Regimbal

A producer at Fox News is suing the network over claims that its lawyers coerced her into giving misleading statements during a deposition related to a defamation lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems, a voting machine company savaged by Fox News coverage of the 2020 presidential election.

The producer — Abby Grossberg, who used to work for KGO-TV in San Francisco — served under host Maria Bartiromo at the time of the election. She later went to work as a producer for Tucker Carlson, the role she held when she filed two lawsuits against the network on Monday. In those suits, which were filed in New York and Delaware, Grossberg alleges that Fox's lawyers tried to make Bartiromo and her staff take the fall for the network's coverage of Dominion. 

"Quite simply, Fox's legal team coerced, intimidated, and misinformed Ms. Grossberg as they prepared her in connection with deposition testimony she gave in the pending defamation case brought by the company known as Dominion ... resulting in irretrievable reputational and emotional harm," one lawsuit, which was reviewed by SFGATE, says. 

Dominion is suing Fox for $1.6 billion over claims from several hosts, including Bartiromo, who, in the wake of the 2020 presidential election, said that the company's voting machines helped rig the contest for Joe Biden. Grossberg's lawyer did not reply to a request for comment from SFGATE in time for publication, but in her lawsuits, Grossberg says the network's decision to have Bartiromo be a scapegoat for its Dominion coverage is rooted in sexism and misogyny. 

Fox filed a countersuit against Grossberg on Monday, and her lawyer told the New York Times that she was placed on "forced administrative leave" while the legal proceedings play out. In response to Grossberg's lawsuits, a network spokesperson told SFGATE in an email: "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. Her allegations in connection with the Dominion case are baseless and we will vigorously defend Fox against all of her claims."

The lawsuits also contained anecdotes involving prominent California politicians, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his predecessor, Nancy Pelosi. 

While working for Carlson, Grossberg said she was called into a meeting with two other producers, who asked her whether McCarthy was involved in a sexual relationship with Bartiromo. Grossberg said she replied, "No," and quickly left the room. The lawsuits also detail a back-and-forth between Grossberg and Carlson while Grossberg was trying to get McCarthy on Carlson's show during his bid for the speakership. Grossberg said McCarthy's team was worried Carlson would "nuke" him over his friendship with a Republican pollster, and Carlson replied by saying that McCarthy would be a "cowardly idiot" to not appear on his show. 

Grossberg also alleged that on her first day as a producer on Carlson's show, she found blown-up images of Pelosi in a bathing suit "revealing her cleavage" plastered on her computer and throughout her office. Grossberg said she believed the joke was that Pelosi looked bad in a bathing suit. 

"Ms. Grossberg was mortified by what she was witnessing and began to experience a sinking feeling in her stomach as it became apparent how pervasive the misogyny and drive to embarrass and objectify women was among the male staff [on Carlson's show]," the lawsuit said. 

The New York lawsuit is slated to be heard in federal court, while the Delaware lawsuit will likely be heard in state court. The Dominion lawsuit continues to make its way through Delaware state court.