If a condenser fan motor grounds out, which protective device will usually trip?

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When a condenser fan motor grounds out, current takes a fault path to earth, causing a sudden overcurrent. The protective device that trips in this situation is the overcurrent protection in the supply circuit—typically a circuit breaker. It detects the surge and opens the circuit quickly to stop power, protecting the wiring and motor. A fuse could also blow, but breakers are the common, resettable protection for this kind of fault. The thermal switch inside the motor safeguards against overheating, not a sudden ground fault, so it wouldn’t be the device that trips here.