ABC News has settled its sexual harassment lawsuit connected to its former “Good Morning America” producer Michael Korn. Kirstyn Crawford, an ex-ABC News producer, who filed the suit against Corn and the network back in August, accused the company of neglecting the allegations.
The terms haven’t been revealed, but the case was settled on Friday in New York State court, and it was moved for dismissal “with prejudice,” which means it can no longer be refiled against the network or Corn, according to a court filing obtained by TheWrap.
Corn, who abruptly exited ABC in April, was named president of news for Nexstar’s NewsNation in May.
In a statement, ABC News thanked Crawford for coming forward.
“ABC News and Ms. Crawford have resolved their dispute, and Ms. Crawford’s lawsuit against the company is now concluded,” the statement read. “ABC News thanks Ms. Crawford for courageously speaking out about her experience at ABC News, and Ms. Crawford thanks ABC News for its prompt response to her formal complaint in 2021.”
Crawford filed the suit against Corn and ABC in New York on Aug. 23, alleging Corn sexually assaulted her in 2015 and created a toxic work environment. The suit went on to allege that another ABC News producer, Jill McClain, was sexually assaulted by Corn about a decade ago. McClain did not sue but supported Crawford in her case. The complaint said McClain was assaulted twice. All three instances in the lawsuit were alleged to have taken place during work trips.
“Both Plaintiff and McClain were traumatized and rendered incapable of reporting the incidents for fear of losing their jobs, since Corn was their supervisor,” Crawford said in the lawsuit, which also accused Corn of creating a toxic workplace by discriminating against and verbally and physically harassing female employees.
In response to the allegations, Corn said in a statement via his lawyers: “I vehemently deny any allegations that I engaged in improper sexual contact with another woman.” He added that he would be “pursuing all available legal remedies against these women and defending myself vigorously.”
Subsequently, Corn released six emails he said came from Crawford just hours after the alleged assault, asking for his hotel room number on the trip in question, offering to bring him coffee and twice inviting him to share a car when he said they were in separate cars the day prior. “The same day she emailed me, after I helped counsel her through a work problem, ‘Why are you so great?’ These are not the words and actions of a woman who had been assaulted hours before,” Corn had said.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.
