'Woman Hater!' Alleged Victim's Attorney Accuses Fred Savage Of 'Violent' On-Set Behavior
March 21 2018, Published 5:13 p.m. ET
The attorney for the woman suing Fred Savage for assault, harassment and gender discrimination said Twentieth Century Fox has yet to conduct an independent investigation into the actor's alleged "systematic" abusive behavior towards her client and possibly other women, RadarOnline.com can exclusively report.
Attorney Anahita Sedaghatfar of the Cochran Group exclusively told RadarOnline.com that her client, YoungJoo Hwang, was assaulted by Savage, 41, during a taping of the cancelled comedy The Grinder. During that incident, Hwang, a costumer on the show, was instructed to brush off dandruff that was on Savage's jacket when the actor hit her hand.
"He cussed at her, told her not to touch him and then violently hit her hand three times to get her away from him," Sedaghatfar told RadarOnline.com. "We have corroborated my client's allegations that Mr. Savage has a pattern of engaging in this type of conduct against females."
READ THE SHOCKING COURT DOCUMENTS
Hwang was working on set in 2015, but Sedaghatfar said they are still conducting their investigation as to when exactly the incident took place.
However, Sedaghatfar said even before the alleged incident, Savage not only intimidated her client, but also targeted other female crew members and "used verbal abuse as a form of intimidation."
Sedaghatfar said Hwang went to her direct supervisors to complain about how Savage had been treating her, but nothing was done.
Meanwhile, officials at Twentieth Century Fox have said they have investigated the claims and saw no wrongdoing on Savage's part.
"I can tell you that statement is categorically false," Sedaghatfar said. "Not only have we corroborated my client's claims, but several witnesses did indeed tell FOX's lawyers that Fred Savage was abusive to my client. FOX has not conducted an independent investigation despite our requests that they do so for about two months now."
Sedaghatfar said Hwang, who has worked in the industry for about seven years as a costumer, left the show shortly after the alleged battery incident and has felt traumatized by the experience.
"My client felt helpless because she did lodge complaints, but they did nothing about it and did not take her seriously," Sedaghatfar said. "Fred Savage was allowed to continue to film the show."
Despite Savages' squeaky clean television image, Sedaghatfar said, "It will come to no surprise to people who work in the Hollywood industry that Mr. Savage has had a reputation as a 'woman hater' … and being abusive towards females."
"Thankfully, due to the 'Me Too' movement, victims are finding courage and speaking out. It is very difficult when you are going against a big T.V. star and against someone who is a millionaire and has a lot of power."
Sedaghatfar is holding a press conference with Hwang at the Cochran Group Los Angeles office at 11 a.m. PT.
The attorney said she expects more women will come forward with their own stories concerning Savage and is asking possible victims to reach out to her office.
In the Los Angeles Superior Court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, Hwang said Savage created an "extremely hostile work environment" due to the actor's "aggressive behavior, intimidation and constant use of profanities aimed toward female employees."
She said he screamed, "I'm not a dog, quit f***ing following me!" and "Don't ever even f***ing look at me anymore" at her during her time at the show.
Savage and Fox denied any wrongdoing.
"Fox takes all allegations of improper conduct very seriously. We conducted a thorough investigation into these allegations and found no evidence of any wrongdoing on the part of Mr. Savage. We will vigorously defend against these unfounded claims," the studio said in a statement.
Savage was previously accused of lewd behavior by a costume designer as a teen on the set of beloved 90's show The Wonder Years, though the lawsuit was eventually dropped.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
We pay for juicy info! Do you have a story for RadarOnline.com? Email us at tips@radaronline.com, or call us at (866) ON-RADAR (667-2327) any time, day or night.
