ABC Signature will pay $3 million to settle sexual harassment and retaliation claims brought by the state of California on behalf of a group of crew members.
California Department of Civil Rights In May 2020, Disney, ABC Signature and others filed a lawsuit and individuals who claim they violated the Fair Employment and Housing Act, the Ralph Civil Rights Act, and state law. Management alleged that director of photography Gregory St. Johns sexually harassed male crew members for 14 seasons of the series and that producers ignored the behavior and fired workers who complained.
Pursuant to a three-year consent decree to resolve this case, ABC Signature will pay $3 million to a cast of approximately twelve individuals, review and distribute policies to all shows produced by ABC Signature, train production and human resources staff, and meet regularly with production supervisors and resources. to ensure that there are no unaddressed complaints of harassment/retaliation at the site, and to submit an annual compliance report to the Center for Human Rights,” the department said in a Monday press release.
Disney has not yet responded to a request for comment on the settlement.
A court approval hearing for the approval decree is currently scheduled for Thursday.
