Ex-CNN producer John Griffin settles lawsuit with 9-year-old girl he sexually abused in Vermont home

On Tuesday, ex-CNN producer John Griffin settled a lawsuit filed against him on behalf of a 9-year-old girl who who be sexually abused at his vacation home in Ludlow, Vermont over a four-month period in 2020.

Griffin, who worked with the American cable news network for nearly a decade, was recently sentenced to over 19 years in prison after pleading guilty to enticing minors with the purpose of engaging in unlawful sexual activity.

The girl's mother had accepted an offer from Griffig on $3,500 to bring the child to his home so she could be "sexually trained," per court records. While the woman and child were with him in Ludlow, he watched "pornographic videos about sex with mothers and daughters."

The girl was made "to perform lewd sex acts on her adoptive mother as Griffin watched," Fox reports. Additionally, "A drone that Griffin operated captured him in his underwear and the completely nude child standing next to him, according to a court filing."

According to Fox News, the suit was filed on behalf of the girl, now 11, in 2022 by the Connecticut Superior Court, and sought $15 million in damages.

While the exact details of the settlement were not revealed, Griffin's lawyer Robert Berke told the outlet that "after months of discussions, we were able to resolve this state court civil case, and [Griffin] is glad to put this behind him."

In 2020, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Vermont charged Griffin with three counts of using a facility of interstate commerce to attempt to entice minors to engage in unlawful sexual activity, however he entered into a plea agreement in December, and the government dropped two additional charges of enticing a minor after he confessed his crimes.

The indictment alleged that between April and July that year, Griffin used online messaging systems such as Kik and Google Hangouts to reach out to parents with underage daughters.

In the latter month, he lured a mother and her underage daughter to his home, and proceeded to view "pornographic videos about sex with mothers and daughters," and forced the child to perform sex acts in the nude with her adoptive mother while he watched.

Griffin, a 45-year-old father of three, allegedly told one of the mothers who brought their daughters to him that a "woman is a woman regardless of her age."

As a result of his conviction, Griffin's wife has filed for divorce, and he "cannot have contact with people under the age of 18, except in the presence of an adult who has been approved by a probation officer, and is prohibited from being in areas where children congregate, such as schools, playgrounds and theme parks, unless approved by the probation office beforehand."