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 The decision to deprive Moonves of his severance follows a board
of directors review of the findings of an investigation into
Moonves' behavior and the CBS culture conducted by two law
firms, Debevoise & Plimpton and Covington & Burling, hired by
CBS.
"We have determined that there are grounds to terminate for
cause, including his willful and material misfeasance, violation
of company policies and breach of his employment contract, as
well as his willful failure to cooperate fully with the
company’s investigation," CBS's board of directors said in a
statement that did not disclose details of the investigation.
A draft report of the investigation was leaked to the New York
Times this month. It accused Moonves of destroying evidence and
seeking to mollify accusers with promises of jobs at CBS.
The report also included more accusations that Moonves advanced
the careers of women who had sex with him and more accusers
beyond the 12 disclosed in two New Yorker investigations that
led to Moonves' forced resignation in September.
Moonves has denied any wrongdoing and has described his sexual
encounters as consensual.
"Mr. Moonves vehemently denies any non-consensual sexual
relations and cooperated extensively and fully with
investigators," Moonves's attorney Andrew Levander, said in a
statement adding that the conclusions of the CBS board were
"foreordained and are without merit."
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It was not immediately clear if Moonves planned to take legal action
against CBS and a spokesman for Levander said there was no further
comment.
The CBS board also said investigators found that harassment and
retaliation were not pervasive at CBS but found that its policies
and practices failed to prevent past incidents.
CBS suspended Charlie Rose, co-anchor of CBS's morning show and "60
Minutes" in November 2017 after several women accused him of
harassment and misconduct and fired him last September. Jeff Fager,
"60 Minutes" executive producer, was also fired in September after
threatening a CBS News reporter investigating allegations of
harassment of colleagues.
Investigators did find that the company failed to hold "high
performers" accountable for their conduct, the board said.
The board said it has retained outside advisers to fix its human
resources problems.
Last week, CBS named 18 recipients of a $20 million donation drawn
from Moonves's severance to support eliminating sexual harassment in
the workplace.
(Reporting by Kenneth Li; Editing by Bill Rigby and Lisa Shumaker)
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