ABC Sexual Assault Victim Claims Disney Punished Her For Speaking Out - Inside the Magic

Last month, Kirstyn Crawford, a former ABC News employee, filed a “bombshell” sexual assault lawsuit against ex-Good Morning America executive producer Michael Corn.

Related: Disney Reportedly “Infuriated” at ABC News President

The New York Times originally broke the story in August, sharing the following details:

Kirstyn Crawford said in the lawsuit that Mr. Corn sexually assaulted her in 2015 during a work trip to Los Angeles to cover the Academy Awards. Mr. Corn denied the allegations in a statement on Wednesday.

In the suit, which was filed in New York State court, Ms. Crawford said Mr. Corn had assaulted her during an Uber ride and in a hotel. The assaults traumatized Ms. Crawford, a producer for George Stephanopoulos on “Good Morning America,” and caused her career to stall, according to the complaint.

Related: ‘Mandalorian’ Actor Facing Underage Sexual Assault Lawsuit

Now, Fox News has reported that Crawford has amended her lawsuit — which has now been filed with the New York State Supreme Court — and is alleging that The Walt Disney Company, who owns ABC News, punished her for speaking out against Corn:

The amended version claims that Crawford’s contract as a producer for “Good Morning America” anchor George Stephanopoulos was not renewed after she spoke out against the network’s handling of her claims.

“After Crawford complained of Corn’s sexual harassment and a hostile work environment to ABC, ABC retaliated against her by not offering her the job security and salary increase that she deserved,” the complaint claims.

The complaint claims that Crawford signed a three-year contract in 2018 and the Disney-owned network “typically” reaches out to negotiate a new deal “at least a few months” before the contract is set to expire. The complaint notes that a pay increase is usually included.

Related: Scarlett Johansson Cites Disney Exec. “Compensation Packages” in Lawsuit

At this time neither Disney nor ABC has publicly commented on Ms. Crawford’s allegations. However, a new GMA executive producer, Simone Swink, was appointed on August 29, 2021, following Corn’s abrupt exit in April 2021.

Furthermore, another report indicates that the major lawsuit against Corn has GMA hosts George Stephanopolous and Robin Roberts at “each other’s throats”, though this remains unconfirmed by any of the involved parties.

Stay tuned to Inside the Magic for more on this developing story.