Leslie Moonves, chairperson and chief executive officer of television network CBS, has resigned from his positions, the company said in a statement on Sunday. This comes after six more women accused him of sexual harassment or assault that dates back to the 1980s, The Guardian reported.
The latest allegations were reported in The New Yorker magazine on Sunday. The allegations included Moonves forcing women to perform oral sex on him and retaliating when advances were turned down. Moonves acknowledged relations with three of the complainants but claimed it was consensual.
On September 6, reports said CBS was in settlement talks with Moonves with the board offering him as much as $100 million (approximately Rs 665 crore) in stock. Jessica Pallingston, a writer who is among the six women to raise allegations in the latest article, said such an exit package for Moonves was “completely disgusting”.
CBS said Moonves will not receive any severance benefits and any future payments would be dependent on the outcome of an independent investigation currently taking place. “Moonves and CBS will donate $20 million (approximately Rs 133 crore) to one or more organisations that support the #MeToo movement and equality for women in the workplace,” the statement reads.
In July, CBS said it was investigating the allegations of sexual misconduct against Moonves as published in an article in The New Yorker magazine. Six women who had business dealings with Moonves told the magazine that he had sexually harassed them between the 1980s and the late 2000s. Two of them also said that Moonves had physically intimidated them or threatened to derail their careers.
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