CBS Receives Subpoena Over Moonves Sexual Misconduct Allegations, "Culture Concerns"
The long arm of the #MeToo movement is knocking on CBS' door.
In an 8-K filing released late on Friday, CBS announced that it has received subpoenas tied to its probe into reports of alleged sexual misconduct of former Chairman and CEO, Les Moonves, and concerns about the working environment at the company.
The company said that that as it had announced previously on August 1, it hired two law firms to investigate allegations about Moonves as well as into CBS News and "cultural issues at all levels of CBS. This investigation is ongoing."
It also revealed that it had received subpoenas from the New York County District Attorney’s Office and the New York City Commission on Human Rights "regarding the subject matter of this investigation and related matters," and that the New York Attorney General's office has requested information as well.
In early September, CBS announced that former CEO Les Moonves was departing as part of a settlement with National Amusements, members of the Board of Directors of CBS and related parties, but the catalyst were allegations of sexual misconduct from six women, as reported by Ronan Farrow in the New Yorker.
Moonves and CBS would donate $20 million to one or more organizations that support the #MeToo movement and equality for women in the workplace. In retrospect, he may have wanted to throw in a million or two for the NY DA's office.
The full 8-K filing is below:
As announced on August 1, 2018, the Board of Directors of CBS Corporation (“CBS” or the “Company”) has retained two law firms to conduct a full investigation of the allegations in recent press reports about CBS’s former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, CBS News and cultural issues at all levels of CBS. This investigation is ongoing.
The Company has received subpoenas from the New York County District Attorney’s Office and the New York City Commission on Human Rights regarding the subject matter of this investigation and related matters. The New York State Attorney General’s Office has also requested information about these matters. The Company may receive additional related regulatory and investigative inquiries from these and other entities in the future.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-09-28/cbs-receives-subpoena-over-moonves-sexual-misconduct-allegations-culture-concerns