Despite the claims against Michael Corn, Kirstyn Crawford, Jill McClain, and Michael Corn, ABC News has not yet made a decision about the case.
While Crawford is still a producer for the morning show, she has filed a lawsuit against Corn in New York state court. Corn abruptly left ABC News last April and now works for NewsNation. ABC News has not responded to requests for comment.
Kirstyn Crawford
ABC’s “Good Morning America” producer Kirstyn Crawford is facing multiple sexual assault charges. The alleged assault occurred two years ago. Crawford told TheWrap that her former boss groped her in her hotel room. Corn has denied the allegations and has left ABC for Nexstar.
In the case, Crawford alleges that Corn groped her in a taxi and then tried to have sex with her in the hotel. The two allegedly assaulted each other in February 2015, and Crawford has since filed a lawsuit. The suit also involves former ABC staffer Jill McClain, who corroborated Crawford’s claims. The former producer also claimed that Corn groped and pinned her in a hotel room. The lawsuit was filed in New York state court. Michael Corn’s lawyers have denied the accusations.
Corn’s attorney argues that Crawford’s claims about the 2015 incident were fabricated and cannot be brought to court.
Jill McClain
Jill McClain is a former producer for ABC’s “World News Tonight” and is facing sexual assault charges. McClain claims that she was assaulted by Corn on two separate occasions, in 2010 and 2011. The assaults happened on a plane, and McClain left ABC News in 2013. She has since written a book that details the assaults, which she hopes will help bring attention to the cases.
The allegations against Corn and McClain allegedly began when Corn told McClain that he had more interest in her career than in seeing him off. The pair then pinned her up against a wall and began kissing her neck and face. When McClain discovered Corn was in the room, she immediately froze. He then forced McClain onto the bed on her back, pulled her jumpsuit down, and fondled her bare chest.
Michael Corn
ABC News and the Walt Disney Co. are named in a lawsuit alleging that Corn’s sexual and physical misconduct prompted the network to fail to take appropriate disciplinary action. The lawsuit further alleges that Corn’s behavior resulted in a hostile work environment. The complaint was filed by Crawford and McClain.
The allegations against Corn came to light after the Wall Street Journal published an article that interviewed Crawford. Crawford told writer Jay Carson that Corn had sexually assaulted her two years earlier. Crawford then went on to tell ABC News’ “GMA” anchor George Stephanopoulos about the incident, which prompted ABC News executives to launch an investigation.
Crawford has filed a lawsuit against ABC and Disney, claiming that Corn sexually assaulted her in 2015. The suit alleges that Corn and Disney failed to investigate the allegations and create a toxic workplace. ABC and Disney have not responded to the lawsuit.
ABC News’ handling of the allegations
ABC News’ handling of sexual assault charges against Michael Corn is under scrutiny, and its president Kim Godwin says she is calling for an independent investigation. In a conference call with ABC News employees, Godwin said that she has received complaints from several people alleging misconduct by Corn. She also said that ABC News staffers who handled the complaints have been assured that their role will be investigated.
ABC News has already faced criticism for handling sexual misconduct allegations, and its rivals, including CBS, NBC, and Fox News, have also come under fire. The news division at ABC is already trying to respond to the perception of a toxic work environment, after announcing the dismissal of a top executive last year, following claims he had made racial comments.
Kim Godwin’s reaction to the allegations
Kim Godwin has been president of ABC News for less than six months and has already angered the top executives of the Walt Disney Company with her calls for an independent investigation of sexual assault allegations against Michael Corn. Her actions have angered Disney General Entertainment Content Chairman Peter Rice and ABC’s General Counsel and Executive Vice President Alan Braverman.
Godwin took questions from ABC News employees and responded to their queries about the allegations. When asked why ABC “disputed” the allegations, she said, “Our management did not know about the lawsuit,” adding that ABC did not make a blanket statement. She said the network was aware of the allegations because of The Wall Street Journal.
