UPDATED with details from news conference, lawsuit document: Fox is coming to the defense of former The Grinder star Fred Savage, who has been sued for alleged harassment by a female crew member of the Fox series.
“Fox takes all allegations of improper conduct very seriously. We conducted a thorough investigation into these allegations and found no evidence of any wrongdoing on the part of Mr. Savage. We will vigorously defend against these unfounded claims,” producer 20th Century Fox TV said in a statement today.
According to the lawsuit (read it here), the woman, Youngjoo Hwang, alleges that in 2015, Savage created a hostile environment for her. She claims that when brushing dandruff off of Savage’s suit, the actor “violently struck” her in the arm three times. She also claims that Savage constantly gave her dirty looks, rolled his eyes and hurled profanities at her while they were working on the show, and that Savage had a reputation for intimidating and tormenting other women on the set as well. She claims Fox protected the star and did nothing to correct the hostile work environment.
At a late morning news conference in Los Angeles, Hwang appeared with her attorney Anahita Sedaghatfar of the Cochran Firm to formally announce the lawsuit alleging harassment, assault, battery and discrimination.
Sedaghatfar refuted Fox’s statement that the studio investigated anything related to the case. She also said she and her client were seeking unspecified damages for emotional distress.
Fox canceled The Grinder in 2016 after one season. The show starred Rob Lowe as the former star of a legal show who joined his father and brother’s small-town law firm. Savage co-starred.
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