California is suing multiple entities regarding alleged sexual misconduct on the set of the hit TV show Criminal Minds.
The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday in the Los Angeles Superior Court by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, said the show’s production team was aware of and condoned sexual misconduct against crew members by cinematographer Gregory St. Johns.
St. Johns spent 14 years working on Criminal Minds and fired over a dozen men who resisted unwanted groping and sexual harassment, according to the Associated Press. In addition to the show’s producers, the suit targets CBS and Disney.
The state agency began an investigation into St. Johns in March 2019 that found he had engaged in a pattern of unwanted sexual touching, including the groping of men’s genitals and buttocks and kissing and caressing their necks and shoulders.
“St. Johns’ conduct was rampant, frequent, and in the open,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit claims that St. Johns criticized, socially ostracized, and publicly shamed those who resisted him. Executives overseeing the show routinely approved of retaliatory firings he urged, the investigation says. He was fired in 2018 following the release of a story in Variety detailing complaints from crew members.
ABC Signature Studios said it intends to defend against the claims in the new suit vigorously.
“The company works hard to maintain a work environment free from discrimination, harassment, or retaliation,” the studio said in a statement.
The company also disagrees with the notion that it acquiesced in the actions of St. Johns. The investigation by the state noted complaints to human resources didn’t result in any meaningful discipline against St. Johns when he was employed with them.
“The company took corrective action,” ABC said in a statement. “We cooperated with the Department of Fair Employment and Housing during its investigation, and we regret that we were unable to reach a reasonable resolution.”
