Fred Savage settles harassment, assault case out of court
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Fred Savage and Youngjoo Hwang, the female crew member who accused the actor of harassment and assault last year, have settled their lawsuit out of court, Hwang’s attorney told Page Six.
“The case has been resolved and we have dismissed the lawsuit,” said Hwang’s lawyer, Anahita Sedaghatfar. “We are very pleased with the resolution.”
Sedaghatfar did not provide additional details about the settlement but said that her client “feels empowered” by the outcome.
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“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. “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.”
Savage’s rep could not immediately be reached for comment, but he previously denied Hwang’s claims.
In March 2018, Hwang, a member of the wardrobe team on Fox’s “The Grinder,” alleged that Savage, one of the show’s stars, had berated her and physically assaulted her, according to a TMZ report. The incidents allegedly occurred in 2015.
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Hwang said at a previous news conference that she was “scared of the abuse and what [she’d] have to encounter on any given day” at work. She claimed Savage, 42, once “violently struck” her on the arms three times when she tried to brush dandruff off his shoulders.
At the time, Savage denied the claims in a lengthy statement to Page Six that read, in part:
"I have witnessed tremendous courage over these past few months, watching brave women who have come forward publicly fighting through the shame and stigma of harassment. I’ve seen first-hand the growing support in this movement that has always felt so lacking. As someone who has always tried to live honorably and with integrity, it never dawned on me that my name could be on the other side.
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"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. 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. After concluding a thorough investigation, Fox determined that there was absolutely no evidence to support these accusations. None of her claims could be substantiated because they did not happen."
Fox also previously told Page Six that the network conducted a “thorough investigation” and “found no evidence of any wrongdoing on the part of Mr. Savage,” adding, “We will vigorously defend against these unfounded claims.”
This article originally appeared on Page Six.