Fred Savage settles lawsuit with crew member on The Grinder who accused him of harassment
An ongoing harassment lawsuit against actor Fred Savage has been settled outside of court and the suit has been dismissed, Page Six reported on Wednesday.
The 42-year-old star was accused by Youngjoo Hwang, a crew member on his short lived sitcom The Grinder, of battery, assault, harassment and discrimination in a complaint filed in 2018.
'The case has been resolved and we have dismissed the lawsuit,' Hwang's lawyer, Anahita Sedaghatfar told Page Six.
Moving on: Fred Savage has reached a settlement in a harassment and assault lawsuit filed against him by a crew member on his short lived show The Grinder, Page Six reported Wednesday
Adding: 'We are very pleased with the resolution.'
On Tuesday, TMZ reported that the case had been dismissed with prejudice and that a settlement had likely been reached.
When a suit is dismissed with prejudice it means that it is done permanently and cannot be refiled at a later date.
Hwang worked in the wardrobe department on Fox's The Grinder where Savage ironically played an attorney.
Hwang's attorney told Page Six that she and her client 'are very pleased with the resolution' (The accuser pictured in 2015 at a press conference announcing the lawsuit)
Accusations: The victim claimed that on one occasion, Fred 'violently struck' her three times as she was brushing dandruff off his clothes
Her original allegations stemmed from 2015 when she alleged that Savage subjected her to verbal attacks in front of colleagues.
She additionally claimed that on one occasion, Fred 'violently struck' her three times as she was brushing dandruff off his clothes.
Hwang was reportedly not alone in feeling victimized and stated in court documents that Savage abused female crew members by shouting at them to stop following him around and once screamed, 'Don't f***ing look at me!'
As for her personally, she alleged that Savage once told her: 'It's so f**king annoying that I have to be nice to you when I f**king hate you!'
Court documents: Hwang said in her filing that Savage abused female crew members by shouting at them to stop following him around and once screamed, 'Don't f***ing look at me!'
Hwang's lawyer told Page Six that she 'feels empowered' by the outcome.
'My hope is that by her speaking out, other women who have been victims of abuse of power will find the courage to do the same,' she continued on behalf of her client. 'We are in a #metoo era and while we still have a long way to go, we are finally seeing progress and I will continue to do my part to help victims seek justice.'
Since the time of the filing, Savage maintained his innocence the network backed him after an investigation.
'I was made aware that a woman working in the costume department of a show I was on almost three years ago has claimed that I treated her harshly on set simply because she was a woman,' he said in a statement at the time.
'My hope is that by her speaking out, other women who have been victims of abuse of power will find the courage to do the same,'her lawyer said in a statement about the settlement.
Adding: 'These accusations are completely without merit and absolutely untrue. Fox conducted an extensive internal investigation into her claims, a process in which I fully participated.'
Fox agreed and released a subsequent statement claiming that their investigation found no evidence to support Hwang's claims.
'We conducted a thorough investigation into these allegations and found no evidence of any wrongdoing on the part of Mr. Savage.
'These accusations are completely without merit and absolutely untrue. Fox conducted an extensive internal investigation into her claims, a process in which I fully participated,' Savage said last year
'We will vigorously defend against these unfounded claims,' the network said.
The Grinder was a comedy starring Savage and actor Rob Lowe that aired for just one season.
It followed television actor Dean Sanderson, Jr. (Rob Lowe) as he returned to his home town of Boise, Idaho.
Believing he can practice as a lawyer, despite his lack of experience, he joins the family law firm, must to the dismay of his brother, Stewart (Savage).
Ironic: The Grinder featured Savage playing a lawyer opposite actor Rob Lowe (pictured together on the show) and the series lasted just one season
