CBS fires CEO Leslie Moonves and denies $120 million severance pay
US television network CBS has fired its former chief executive Leslie Moonves and has denied him a $120 million severance package over sexual harassment and assault accusations that allegedly took place before and after he joined the media company.
CBS announced Moonves’ official termination on Monday following a board of directors review of a report of an investigation into his behavior and the network’s workplace culture.
The investigation was conducted by two law firms hired by CBS.
A report accuses Moonves of destroying evidence and seeking to mollify accusers with promises of jobs at CBS. The report also included more accusations that Moonves advanced the careers of women who had sex with him.
“We have determined that there are grounds to terminate for cause, including his willful and material misfeasance, violation of company policies and breach of his employment contract, as well as his willful failure to cooperate fully with the company’s investigation,” CBS’s board of directors said in a statement.
The media executive resigned from his role at the company in September after a dozen women came forward alleging sexual misconduct.
Moonves has denied any wrongdoing and has described his sexual encounters as consensual.
CBS acknowledged this week that it reached a $9.5 million confidential settlement last year with actress Eliza Dushku, who said she was fired from the show “Bull” in March 2017 after complaining about on-set sexual comments from its star, Michael Weatherly.
CBS suspended Charlie Rose, co-anchor of CBS’s morning show and “60 Minutes” in November 2017 after several women accused him of harassment and misconduct and fired him last September.
Last week, CBS made a $20 million donation drawn from Moonves’s severance package to support eliminating sexual harassment in the workplace.
The #MeToo movement emerged in October 2017 in response to accusations of sexual harassment and abuse by powerful men in the entertainment industry.
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