As departed CBS Corp. CEO Leslie Moonves’ fate looms, a new report indicates that “60 Minutes” creator Don Hewitt, who oversaw the series’ ousted chief Jeff Fager for several years, was also the subject of a sexual misconduct investigation that resulted in a payout worth more than $5 million.
According to the New York Times, a draft of an investigative report compiled by the law firms hired to look into Moonves, “60 Minutes,” and CBS News states that the settlement was reached in the 1990s and has been amended multiple times. The woman who brought forward the allegations claimed Hewitt sexually assaulted her in multiple instances and destroyed her career.
The revelation comes ahead of CBS’ board meeting next week, where the investigative report, which also determines Moonves’ ultimate fate, will be presented. If the firms, Debevoise & Plimpton and Covington & Burling, come to the conclusion that Moonves violated the terms of his employment contract, CBS will be able to fire him for cause and withhold his $120 million parachute. That outcome looks more likely after a Dec. 5 report indicated that Moonves attempted to mislead investigators about the allegations against him. The report also included other sordid details about Moonves’ alleged misdeeds, such as keeping a CBS employee “on call” to perform oral sex.
CBS had no comment.