CBS faces New York probe tied to ex-CEO Leslie Moonves

[September 29, 2018]  By Kenneth Li and Arjun Panchadar

(Reuters) - CBS Corp is facing probes by both New York city and state officials tied to sexual assault and harassment accusations of its ex-chief executive Leslie Moonves, the company revealed in a regulatory filing on Friday evening.

The CBS broadcasting logo is seen outside the CBS Broadcast Center in Manhattan, New York, U.S., July 30, 2018. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

The disclosure of the probes comes just hours after the new CBS board of directors met for the first time in New York.

The broadcast and media company received subpoenas from the New York County District Attorney's Office and the New York City Commission on Human Rights related to the allegations against Moonves, CBS News and cultural issues in the company, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing https://bit.ly/2OjogOY.

The New York State Attorney General has also requested information about the allegations, CBS said.

Moonves resigned from CBS in early September after two New Yorker magazine investigations revealed a dozen women who accused him of harassment or assault.

"The Company may receive additional related regulatory and investigative inquiries from these and other entities in the future," CBS said in a regulatory filing. "The Company is cooperating with the ongoing investigation and related inquiries."

CBS declined further comment.

Shortly after the New Yorker's July report on Moonves, CBS hired two law firms, Covington & Burling and Debevoise & Plimpton, to investigate the claims. The investigation is ongoing.

(Reporting by Kenneth Li in New York and Arjun Panchadar in Bengaluru; Editing by Clive McKeef)

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