CBS, Les Moonves Will Fork Over $9.75M to Settle Probe Into Sexual Misconduct Claims
‘NO ADMISSION OF LIABILITY’
CBS and its former CEO, Les Moonves, are set to pay at least $9.75 million to settle an investigation with the New York Attorney General’s office over sexual misconduct allegations. The network is liable for $7.25 million, while Moonves is personally on the hook for $2.5 million, according to court documents. The disgraced executive, an initial and vocal proponent of the #MeToo movement, was ousted by the broadcast company in 2018 after more than a dozen women accused him of sexual misconduct or retaliation for rejecting his advances, including actress Cybill Shepherd and journalist E. Jean Carroll. The revelations sparked investigations into Moonves and lawsuits from shareholders, who claimed that CBS failed to disclose information about how it handled complaints in the workplace. “We have reached an agreement in principle to resolve the matter with the Investor Protection Bureau of the New York State Attorney General's Office,” wrote Paramount Global in a filing with the SEC on Wednesday. “The resolution includes no admission of liability or wrongdoing by the Company.”