EXCLUSIVE: Wonder Years star Fred Savage fights claims of gender violence and emotional distress made by a female crew member on The Grinder saying she 'falsely painted' him as 'some sort of violent attacker'

Actor Fred Savage said he 'vigorously disputes' claims of gender violence and emotional distress made by Youngjoo Hwang
Hwang worked in the wardrobe department for Savage's show, The Grinder
She initially claimed that while on set in 2015, Savage subjected her to verbal attacks in front of colleagues and once 'violently struck' her three times
She later dropped a number of allegations, including assault and battery claims
Hwang is continuing to go after Savage on other allegations, including gender violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, civil conspiracy
Savage responded to her case on June 19, asking for it to be thrown out, saying Hwang 'falsely painted' him as 'some sort of violent attacker'

Published: 15:14 BST, 27 June 2018 | Updated: 16:19 BST, 27 June 2018

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Actor Fred Savage said he 'vigorously disputes' claims of gender violence and emotional distress made by a female crew member on the set of the Fox sitcom The Grinder in new court documents obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com.

Savage has asked that the case filed by Youngjoo Hwang, from the The Grinder's wardrobe department, be thrown out.

Hwang initially claimed that while on set in 2015, Savage subjected her to verbal attacks in front of colleagues and once 'violently struck' her three times as she was brushing dandruff off his clothes.

She later dropped a number of allegations against Savage, including her assault and battery claims but continued to go after Savage on other allegations, including gender violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, civil conspiracy.

Savage responded to her case on June 19, asking for it to be thrown out, saying Hwang 'falsely painted' him as 'some sort of violent attacker'.

Actor Fred Savage said he 'vigorously disputes' claims of gender violence and emotional distress made by Youngjoo Hwang, a wardrobe staffer on The Grinder, as he asked that her lawsuit be thrown out

'After having taken advantage of the press conference that invited media coverage and sought to harm Mr Savage's good name, plaintiff decided to voluntarily - and quietly - dropped six of her claims against Mr Savage (as well as various claims against Fox),' Savage's court response states.

It continues: 'The dropped claims are those for assault, battery, and employment-based discrimination, harassment and retaliation, which were, not surprisingly, the focus of her earlier press conference.'

She is, however, continuing to go after Savage on other allegations, including gender violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, civil conspiracy.

Savage disputes Hwang's remaining allegations in his memorandum filed on June 19, and specifically notes her gender violence claims that he hit her on the arm.

'[Hwang] alleges that Mr Savage hit her arm when she attempted to brush dandruff off his shoulder,' the memorandum says. 'All three counts, however, require that the alleged violent conduct was motivated by plaintiff's gender.'

Savage says that he was not motivated by gender, but instead wanted Hwang to 'stop touching him'.

The memorandum states: 'Plaintiff further admits that Mr savage purportedly treated her badly simply because he did not like her - irrespective of ger gender.'

Savage (pictured center with Steve Little and Rob Lowe in a scene from The Grinder) responded to her case on June 19, asking for it to be thrown out, saying Hwang 'falsely painted' him as 'some sort of violent attacker'

It adds: 'Rather, she simply affixed a gender-biased label to her otherwise non-gender related allegations of rude behavior and added a conclusory (and false) allegation that Mr Savage has some 'history' of gender discrimination.'

Savage also notes that in Hwang's deposition, she couldn't recall which arm was hit in the incident.

The memorandum states: During her deposition, although she recalled that Mr. Savage allegedly hit her with an open hand, plaintiff testified that she did not recall which arm was purportedly hit or whether her arm even bruised or hurt later that day.

'She further testified that she did not take any medications and did not seek any medical attention during that time period.'

When defending against Hwang's claims of emotional distress, Savage says that his accuser 'failed to adequately plead that she suffered emotional distress'.

Hwang had said that she suffered when Savage gave her 'dirty looks, roll[ed] his eyes at her and snap[ped] at her with profanities'.

Savage says that Hwang 'alleges merely that she experienced 'humiliation, embarrassment and mental anguish'.

Earlier this year, Savage said the claims of assault and harassment were found to be 'completely false' after a thorough investigation by Fox.

Hwang later dropped a number of allegations against Savage, including her assault and battery claims but continued to go after Savage on other allegations, including gender violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, civil conspiracy

He wrote in a statement: '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.

'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.'

Savage was a child star on the hit show The Wonder Years. He's pictured above in a scene from the show in 1991

In March, Hwang accused Fox of protecting Savage rather than acting to stop his alleged bad behavior.

Fox said: 'We take 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.'

The Grinder was a comedy that followed television actor Dean Sanderson, Jr. (Rob Lowe) as he returned to his home town of Boise, Idaho.

Believing he can practice as a lawyer, despite his lack of experience, he joins the family law firm, must to the anger of his brother, Stewart (Savage).

Hwang's claims came just months after a co-star said that ABC's The Wonder Years was taken off air in 1993 after Savage was accused of sexually harassing a female costume designer.

Alley Mills, who played alongside Savage as his character Kevin Arnold's mother, called the lawsuit against him 'completely ridiculous,' in an interview with Page Six.