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Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation case against Fox News has already created new challenges for the controversial network. Not only have recent court filings suggested that Fox promoted bogus election claims they knew to be false, on purpose, in order to placate its audience and make money, but recent polling indicates that the scandal has affected the network’s public standing.
It’s against this backdrop that a new lawsuit from a Fox producer might very well make matters worse. NBC News reported:
A Fox News producer on Monday filed lawsuits against the network, alleging its lawyers coerced her into providing misleading testimony in Dominion Voting Systems’ $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against the network. The lawsuits were filed Monday night by Abby Grossberg, who worked with Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson and Maria Bartiromo, against the network in New York and Delaware.
Part of Grossberg’s case focuses on what she described as a “toxic” workplace culture, featuring misogyny and discrimination. In fact, her litigation alleged a “poisonous and entrenched patriarchy” that marginalizes women who work there.
But more relevant to the Dominion case is Grossberg’s allegation that Fox News lawyers “coerced, intimidated and misinformed” her as they prepared her to testify in the defamation suit.
“Ms. Grossberg left the deposition preparation sessions without knowing that by giving such false/misleading and evasive answers like the ones Fox’s legal team reacted to positively ... during the prep sessions, she not only opened herself up to civil and criminal liability for perjury, but was subtly shifting all responsibility for the alleged defamation against Dominion onto her shoulders, and by implication, those of her trusted female colleague, Ms. Bartiromo, rather than the mostly male higher ups at Fox News who endorsed the repeated coverage of the lies against the Dominion,” the lawsuit filed in New York said.
The network has denied her claims, calling the allegations “baseless.” In fact, Fox initially filed a suit of its own, seeking a restraining order against Grossberg, hoping to prevent her from disclosing information related to the Dominion case, though that case was later withdrawn. (Her lawyers said she has, however, been put on “administrative leave.”)
I’m not in a position to evaluate the producer’s claims on the merits, though it’s safe to say that if her allegations are true, and the network “coerced, intimidated and misinformed” Grossberg in advance of her testimony, that would be a rather significant development.
But let’s also not lose sight of the timing: As NBC News’ report added, a Delaware judge has scheduled a hearing for today on whether to rule on any part of the case ahead of a jury trial.
It’s probably not a coincidence that Grossberg’s litigation was filed the day before this hearing. Watch this space.