text: Fred Savage has been accused of harassing and assaulting a female member of the wardrobe team on his Fox series “The Grinder,” but the actor and the network have both vigorously denied the allegations. 
   
   Crew member Youngjoo Hwang, who filed a lawsuit against Savage and Fox on Wednesday, has accused the 41-year-old of creating a hostile work environment, berating her and — on at least one occasion — physically assaulting her, TMZ reported. The incidents allegedly occurred in 2015. 
   
   Hwang claims that when she was brushing dandruff off Savage’s clothing for a shoot, he “violently struck” her on her arm three times. 
   
   Hwang also alleges that Savage would often roll his eyes and glare at her, and that he had a reputation for being verbally abusive to female crew members. 
   
   In a news conference Wednesday, Hwang alleged that she was “scared of the abuse and what [she’d] have to encounter on any given day” at work, and claimed that her superiors encouraged her not to report Savage’s conduct because they were scared of losing their jobs. 
   
   She specifically notes in the suit that an executive producer told her, “I’m not even sure what Fred did constituted harassment and I don’t think you should report it to HR,” per TMZ. 
   
   Hwang is seeking unspecified damages for emotional distress. 
   
   Savage told Page Six in a statement Wednesday that the claims against him are “absolutely untrue.” 
   
   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. 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. I have been working in the entertainment industry my whole life and have always endeavored to treat everyone on any set I work on respectfully and professionally. While none of the accusations being leveled at me are true, I wholeheartedly support all people who feel they are being mistreated come forward and speak to human resources and those in charge. We have witnessed so much bravery from those speaking out recently, but I will just as boldly protect myself and my family from those seeking to tarnish my good name. I cannot let these people in particular denigrate me while harming the message of thousands of women and others who have suffered and continue to suffer. 
   
   Fox also defended Savage. 
   
   “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, ” a rep for the network told Page Six on Wednesday. “We will vigorously defend against these unfounded claims.” 
   
   However, Hwang’s attorney, Anahita Sedaghatfar, alleges that Fox did not conduct an independent investigation into the claims, and says that Savage’s attorneys have refused to speak with her or Hwang. 
   
   Sedaghatfar also claims that other women on the set of “The Grinder” filed complaints with Fox about Savage’s behavior, too, though she would not expound on who the other women are or what abuses they had alleged. 
   
   “The Grinder” ran from 2015 to 2016. 
   
   This isn’t the only complaint about Savage’s on-set behavior. 
   
   In January, it was revealed that the actor was sued for sexual harassment in 1993 during his tenure on “The Wonder Years.” 
   
   The suit, filed by a costume designer on the show, alleged that then-16-year-old Savage made sexual comments aimed at her and asked to have an affair with her. She claimed she was fired from the show as a result. 
   
   The suit, which also went after Savage’s co-star Jason Hervey, was eventually settled for an undisclosed sum. 
   
   Savage’s onscreen mother, Alley Mills, claims the show would have continued if it weren’t for the suit, which she dubbed “ridiculous.” ||||| UPDATED with details from news conference, lawsuit document: Fox is coming to the defense of former The Grinder star Fred Savage, who has been sued for alleged harassment by a female crew member of the Fox series. 
   
   “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,” producer 20th Century Fox TV said in a statement today. 
   
   According to the lawsuit (read it here), the woman, Youngjoo Hwang, alleges that in 2015, Savage created a hostile environment for her. She claims that when brushing dandruff off of Savage’s suit, the actor “violently struck” her in the arm three times. She also claims that Savage constantly gave her dirty looks, rolled his eyes and hurled profanities at her while they were working on the show, and that Savage had a reputation for intimidating and tormenting other women on the set as well. She claims Fox protected the star and did nothing to correct the hostile work environment. 
   
   At a late morning news conference in Los Angeles, Hwang appeared with her attorney Anahita Sedaghatfar of the Cochran Firm to formally announce the lawsuit alleging harassment, assault, battery and discrimination. 
   
   Sedaghatfar refuted Fox’s statement that the studio investigated anything related to the case. She also said she and her client were seeking unspecified damages for emotional distress. 
   
   Fox canceled The Grinder in 2016 after one season. The show starred Rob Lowe as the former star of a legal show who joined his father and brother’s small-town law firm. Savage co-starred. ||||| Fred Savage Lawsuit Allegedly Told Crew 'Don't F***ing Look at Me!' 
   
   Fred Savage Accused of Harassment and Intimidation on Set of 'The Grinder' 
   
   EXCLUSIVE 
   
   11:00 AM PT -- Savage says Hwang's accusations are without merit and absolutely untrue, and claims they were investigated, but ... "None of her claims could be substantiated because they did not happen." 
   
   Savage says he's worked in entertainment his whole life and has "always endeavored to treat everyone on any set I work on respectfully and professionally." He adds ... he supports all people who feel they are being mistreated to come forward and speak out, but he also must "protect myself and my family from those seeking to tarnish my good name." 
   
   Fred Savage is getting sued for allegedly assaulting a costumer on his TV show "The Grinder" -- but she also claims he regularly tormented female crew members, demanding they don't make eye contact with him. 
   
   In the suit, filed Wednesday in L.A., Youngjoo Hwang says Savage constantly gave her dirty looks, rolled his eyes and hurled profanities at her while they were working on the show in 2015. Hwang says Savage made no secret of the fact he didn't like her, saying things like, "It's so f**king annoying that I have to be nice to you when I f**king hate you!" 
   
   According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Savage had a rep for intimidating and tormenting female crew members, demanding they stop following him around -- even though it was their job to do so -- and told them, "Don't ever even f**king look at me anymore!" 
   
   TMZ broke the story ... Hwang claims Savage eventually blew up at her when she dusted dandruff off his tuxedo jacket, as part of her job. In the suit, she says he yelled, "Do not touch me with your hands" -- and when she explained what she was doing he "violently struck [her] arm three times with his hand." 
   
   Hwang says she reported this, but was told by an executive producer, "I'm not even sure what Fred did constituted harassment and I don't think you should report it to H.R." 
   
   She claims FOX protected its star, and did nothing to clean up the hostile work environment Savage created. As we told you, a source close to Fred says FOX actually did investigate Hwang's allegation and found zero evidence to back her story. 
   
   Hwang and her attorney, from the Cochran Firm, are planning a news conference at 11 AM PT, which we will live stream.
target: – A female costumer on The Grinder—a Fox sitcom canceled in 2016 after just one season—is suing Fred Savage, who starred in the show alongside Rob Lowe, alleging harassment and even violence. But both Savage and Fox are hitting back strongly against the claims. Youngjoo Hwang says Savage treated her poorly, giving her mean looks and cursing at her, and once told her he hated her and was annoyed that he had to be nice to her. She says she once brushed dandruff off his tuxedo jacket, which was part of her job—and he hit her three times in the arm while telling her not to touch him. She says he was also verbally abusive to other female crew members on the show, yelling at them not to follow him around or look at him, TMZ reports. Hwang says Fox protected Savage, and that when she reported the alleged violence to an executive producer he said, "I'm not even sure what Fred did constituted harassment and I don't think you should report it to HR." But Fox says it looked into Hwang's claims: "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 company said in a statement obtained by Deadline. Page Six has a lengthy statement from Savage in which he says, among other things, "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. ... None of her claims could be substantiated because they did not happen."