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Fox News has been hit with another hammer after its record settlement with Dominion Voting Systems as the network has had to pay another hefty sum of cash.
The network has reached an agreement with a former producer, Abby Grossberg, $12 million after she claimed it fostered a hostile and discriminatory work environment and that it asked her to provide false testimony, CNN reported.
“I stand by my publicly filed claims and allegations,” she said, but said that he has agreed to withdraw the lawsuit after reaching the $12 million deal.
“I am heartened that Fox News has taken me and my legal claims seriously,” she said. “I am hopeful, based on our discussions with Fox News today, that this resolution represents a positive step by the Network regarding its treatment of women and minorities in the workplace.”
A spokesperson for Fox News confirmed the settlement and said, “we are pleased that we have been able to resolve this matter without further litigation.”
According to a court document allegedly leaked to The New York Times, Fox News aimed to “move on” from former President Donald Trump after his defeat in the 2020 election in relation to its recent settlement with Dominion Voting Systems.
The leak surfaced shortly after the two parties reached a settlement in which Fox News agreed to pay Dominion a record $787.5 million for defamation, though the settlement did not include a formal apology from the network to the voting software company.
“Fox settled with Dominion over charges that Fox News baselessly accused the company of rigging its voting machines against former President Donald Trump in 2020. It was the most-watched media libel case in decades,” The Associated Press reported, adding that through various financial mechanisms such as insurance coverage and tax deductibility, the network isn’t likely to actually pay the full amount.
Per Becker News, former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who joined Fox News’ board of directors after leaving Congress, “has become quite influential with” the network’s leadership. The leaked document shows that “Ryan has been an influential force behind the network’s decision to move on from Donald Trump.”
“As a Board Member, Ryan believed that the period immediately following the 2020 Presidential Election ‘was a pretty important inflection point, not just for the company Fox, but for the country and for the conservative movement itself,’ and shared this ‘view as a fiduciary’ with Rupert and Lachlan,” the document notes, going on to cite an exhibit.
“Ryan told Rupert and Lachlan ‘that Fox News should not be spreading conspiracy theories,’” it noted further.
“On December 6 , 2020, Paul Ryan texted Rupert and Lachlan, telling them, we are entering a truly bizarre phase of this where [Trump] has actually convinced himself of this farce and will do more bizarre things to delegitimize the election,” the document says. “I see this as a key inflection point for Fox, where the right thing and the smart business thing to do line up nicely.”
“Ryan told Dias about his own conversation with Rupert and Lachlan, reporting he told them that ‘this is a huge inflection point to keep Trump down and move on for the future of the conservative movement.’ Ryan added: ‘Both Rupert and Lachlan agree fully. The key is to execute our collective will,'” the document added.
In the wake of the settlement, the network has parted ways with two major personalities — one of them Fox’s top-rated host.
The document leak comes amid a major shake-up at Fox News of on-air talent, including the departure of top-rated host Tucker Carlson, who regularly outpaced all other cable news hosts. And now, a new report has shed light on who made the final decision to cut ties with him.
