Michael Corn, president of news at Nexstar's NewsNation cable network, was accused in a lawsuit filed Wednesday of sexually assaulting an ABC News staffer when Corn was senior executive producer at ABC's Good Morning America, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Corn denied the allegations in a statement, the newspaper said.
Corn left ABC in April and joined NewsNation in May.
"We have no comment on anything that may or may not have happened prior to Mr. Corn's employment with Nexstar," a Nexstar spokesman said.
The suit, which also names ABC parent The Walt Disney Co., was filed by Kirstyn Crawford, a producer at GMA. She alleges that Corn assaulted her during a business trip in 2015. The suit also alleges Corn sexually assaulted former ABC News producer Jill McClain when McClain and Corn worked together at ABC's World News Tonight.
According to the WSJ, ABC officials were informed about Crawford's complaints in 2017. An investigation into Corn was started this year after Crawford and McClain filed formal complaints to the network.
Crawford is seeking unspecified damages.
In the suit, she alleges that she and Corn were covering the Academy Awards in Los Angeles. On the way back to their hotel after a party, she says Corn was intoxicated and forcibly touched her, kissing her head and rubbing her legs and telling her he wanted to help her with her career, the paper said.
When they got to the hotel, Crawford went to Corn’s room because he asked for Advil. He asked her to sit on his bed. When she did, he grabbed her arm and began kissing the top of her head, the paper said, citing the suit.
In the statement sent to the paper, Corn cited emails Crawford sent to him he claims prove the alleged incident didn't occur.
