CBS IN 1 BIG MESS
Lawsuits may be piling up for Tiffany Network
Last week’s leaks of CBS’ internal probe into sexualmisconduct allegations are threatening to create a deluge of legal liability for the broadcasting giant.
Jeff Fager, the former executive producer of “60 Minutes,” is weighing a lawsuit against CBS over a Dec. 6 New York Times story which, citing a confidential draft report generated by CBS’ internal probe, detailed the company’s sex-harassment allegations against him, The Post has learned.
That’s on the heels of The Post’s Friday report that exChief Executive, Les Moonves, is preparing to sue over leaks of allegations in the same draft report that were spilled by the Times earlier last week in a separate story on Dec. 4.
Fager’s lawyers — in a similar strategy to Moonves’ legal team — are expected to argue that CBS breached Fager’s contract when the draft report was leaked to the Times, sources close to the situation told The Post.
What’s more, according to one source, some of the women named in the Times stories are considering lawsuits against the broadcaster, arguing they spoke to CBS investigators on the condition of anonymity.
The leaks came from a draft report compiled by law firms Debevoise & Plimpton and Covington & Burling at the behest of the CBS board. The board’s investigation concluded on Friday and is closed, sources told The Post
“It has moved from the investigating environment to being showed to the board,” an insider said.
A CBS rep for the investigation declined to comment.
The board was slated to render a verdict over whether Moonves is entitled to his $120 million severance at its shareholder meeting on Tuesday, a source said. But concerns about liability over the leaks has thrown the process into chaos, delaying the decision, sources said.
Debevoise lead lawyer Mary Jo White presented the report’s findings to the board on Monday, and was described as “overly apologetic” about the leaks, sources said.
According to the Times story last Thursday, the draft report found that Fager had “engaged in some type of sexually inappropriate conduct” toward a female CBS employee who alleged in 2009 he had groped her.
Another CBS employee alleged Fager “tried to kiss her with an open mouth at a corporate event about six years ago,” according to the Times.
The story also detailed sex-harassment allegations against late “60 Minutes” creator Don Hewitt, which it said have resulted in CBS payouts to a victim of more than $5 million.
Lawyers for Fager did not comment on a potential suit, but Fager hinted at a potential claim relating to breach of confidentiality when the Times called him for comment.
“This is the first I am hearing some of these allegations about my personal conduct,” Fager told the paper. “I’m surprised and devastated to hear them from The New York Times, since I was not given the opportunity by CBS investigators to respond to their accuracy.”