‘Criminal Minds’ Production Company Settles State Of California’s Sexual Harassment Lawsuit For $3 Million

20.12.2022 - 02:47 / deadline.com

The production company behind the series Criminal Minds has settled a lawsuit brought by the California Civil Rights Department over claims that male crew members were subject to retaliation when they complained that they were sexually harassed by the show’s director of photography.

The state agency announced on Monday that ABC Signature, the producer of the show, will pay $3 million to resolve the claims. The agency filed a lawsuit in 2020 against Disney, CBS and others, alleging that for 14 seasons of the show, the DP, Gregory St. Johns, “subjected male crew members to sexualharassment, including unwanted touching and caressing, and made unwelcome and threateningcomments.”

The director of the agency, Kevin Kish, said in a statement, “Crew members courageously came forward to assert their right to make a living free from sexual harassment. No matter the industry, workplace setting, or gender of the employees, companies must address credible complaints of harassment and retaliation and take action against harassers.”

The California Civil Rights Department alleged that the production companies and producers ignored the harassment and failed to act on the complaints. ABC Signature will be under a three year consent decree to resolve the case and will revise and distribute policies to all shows produced by the company, as well as report compliance annually to the state agency, among other things. The $3 million will be distributed to a class of about a dozen individuals.