The late founder of “60 Minutes,” CBS’ flagship news magazine show that’s been on air since the 1960s, reportedly sexually assaulted a woman and ruined her career in the 1990s.
Lawyers researching sexual harassment at the network after a series of recent scandals found that CBS quietly reached a settlement with the woman in the 1990s and the network continues to pay her to this day, according to a New York Times report.
The woman claimed Don Hewitt, who created 60 Minutes in 1968, repeatedly sexually assaulted her and ruined her career. The report didn’t give details of what Hewitt, who died in 2009, allegedly did.
The settlement was reached after CBS investigated allegations that Hewitt had, for years, sexually assaulted an employee of the network. CBS determined her allegations were credible, according to the report, and agreed to pay her a $450,000 settlement.
since they reached the agreement, the Times reported, they renegotiated six times, agreeing to pay her more than $5 million in exchange for her silence.
The Times uncovered the arrangement after the network hired two law firms to do a thorough investigation at CBS after they fired executive Les Moonves after sexual misconduct allegations against him.
The Times published a report earlier this week that said the lawyers found Moonves had obstructed a network-led investigation into sexual misconduct claims made against him in an effort to save his severance package.
CBS could not be reached for comment, and declined to comment to the Times.
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