Last week, producer and director Sam Wineman filed a lawsuit against Hannibal creator Bryan Fuller and AMC Networks including accusations of sexual assault, creating a hostile work environment and retaliation on the docuseries Queer For Fear.

Wineman was a producer and director for Shudder’s four-part series Queer For Fear: The History Of Queer Horror.

Wineman accused Fuller, an executive on the series, of sexual assault and asserted that AMC executives had ignored his allegations and instead punished him when he voiced his discomfort.

In a filing with the L.A. Superior Court, Wineman made specific accusations that Fuller was abusive to Wineman while he worked on the 2022 docuseries. He also claimed that his termination from the series in August 2021 was in response to the comments he made to higher-ups about Fuller’s “unlawful behavior and comments.”

Wineman’s filing reads, “Defendant Bryan Fuller cultivated and maintained a hostile work environment as a result of harassment, discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual assault and retaliation from the years 2020 to 2022.”

The complaint continues, “AMC defendants and executive producer defendants ignored all warning signs, facilitated and permitted Mr. Fuller’s unlawful conduct and ultimately ratified Mr. Fuller’s behavior and comments.”

Now, Queer For Fear associate producer Jordan Crucchiola has stepped forward to corroborate Wineman’s claims.

Crucchiola had previously voiced “ethical concerns with the behavior of the EPs overseeing the series” when the show was first released. She noticed shortly after the statement that her name had disappeared from the credits, which she believed to be a retaliation for her comments about the toxic work environment.

Crucchiola came to Wineman’s defense on social media and cited her own experiences and possible retaliation.

“I was present for or told in real-time about what is alleged against Bryan Fuller in this lawsuit,” she wrote on X. “I stand with Sam telling the truth.” She noted that Fuller’s alleged abuse was documented “constantly” in their texts.

Fuller’s lawyer, Bryan Freeman, said in a statement that Wineman made the story up and that he should expect to be sued for defamation based on “100 percent probably false statements.”

“Sam Wineman just made the biggest mistake of his life and once the evidence comes out, he will forever be known as a pathological liar,” Freeman said. “Rest assured; a malicious prosecution lawsuit aimed directly at him is coming soon.”

The Queer for Fear docuseries was focused on the history and influence of LGBTQ artists in thriller and horror genres, as well as their respective communities. The miniseries ran from September 30 to October 21, 2022.

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