Walt Disney Co.
’s ABC said in a approved submitting Friday that it fired “Good Morning America” authorities producer
Michael Corn
closing April after investigating allegations that he sexually harassed and assaulted two neighborhood staffers.
“The investigation determined that it was additional in all probability than not that Corn violated ABC’s insurance coverage insurance policies. ABC then promptly terminated Corn’s employment after 17 years of service,” ABC said in a motion to dismiss numerous claims in a lawsuit against the network filed by
Kirstyn Crawford,
a producer on “Good Morning America.”
ABC’s submitting marked the first time the neighborhood has acknowledged why Mr. Corn abruptly left his place as excessive producer for the most-watched U.S. morning information program.
Mr. Corn has denied allegations that he engaged in improper sexual contact with one different girl, calling the claims inside the go properly with fabrications and saying he would defend himself vigorously. Neither Mr. Corn nor his lawyer responded to a request for added contact upon Friday.
Throughout the underlying go properly with, Ms. Crawford alleged that Mr. Corn sexually assaulted her all through a 2015 reporting journey. The go properly with moreover alleges that
Jill McClain
was sexually assaulted by Mr. Corn roughly a decade previously when she was a information producer at ABC. Ms. McClain, who left ABC in 2013, isn’t a plaintiff inside the go properly with.
Ms. Crawford moreover named ABC as a defendant, alleging the neighborhood realized of her alleged encounter with Mr. Corn in 2017 and failed to research the matter. Ms. Crawford made a correct criticism to ABC in February of this 12 months.
“Nonetheless ABC’s swift and excessive movement in opposition to Corn, Ms. Crawford nonetheless seeks to hold ABC liable for his conduct,” ABC said in its approved submitting. ABC didn’t deal with inside the submitting whether or not or not it was acutely aware of Ms. Crawford’s allegations in 2017.
ABC said numerous of Ms. Crawford’s claims stem from allegations open air the three-year statute of limitations. In his private motion to dismiss, Mr. Corn made an similar argument.
A lawyer for Ms. Crawford said in a press launch, “Neither ABC’s or Corn’s arguments are a shock, and had been absolutely anticipated. It’s often worth noting that it seems that evidently ABC and Corn often usually are not on the similar internet web page with respect to their view of the allegations inside the amended criticism.”
In a press launch, a spokeswoman for the neighborhood said, “we’ll defend in opposition to the remaining claims that ABC didn’t take acceptable movement in opposition to Mr. Corn.”
Write to Joe Flint at joe.flint@wsj.com
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Appeared inside the October 23, 2021, print model as ‘ABC Says Producer Was Fired Following Inquiry.’
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