Current:Home > BackLA ethics panel rejects proposed fine for ex-CBS exec Les Moonves over police probe interference-InfoLens
LA ethics panel rejects proposed fine for ex-CBS exec Les Moonves over police probe interference
View Date:2025-01-10 01:37:05
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles City Ethics Commission unanimously rejected a proposed settlement between the city and Les Moonves on Wednesday, saying a tougher penalty is warranted for the former CBS chief executive accused of interfering with a police investigation into sexual assault allegations against him.
Moonves had agreed to pay an $11,250 fine to settle the ethics commission complaint, which alleged that he worked closely with a police department official to obtain information about a sexual assault victim’s confidential police report.
Ethics commission staff worked with Moonves on the proposed fine, but it still needed approval by the volunteer panel that oversees the commission, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The commissioners felt that the “extremely egregious nature of the allegations” warranted a stronger penalty, ethics commission president Jeffrey Daar said.
A Moonves representative declined to comment to the Times on Wednesday’s action.
According to documents released last Friday, Moonves acknowledged working closely with then-Capt. Cory Palka of the Los Angeles Police Department in 2017 to get details of the police report.
Palka, who had provided private security for Moonves between 2008 and 2014 at the Grammy Awards, which CBS produced, notified network officials about the complaint against the executive in November 2017, the documents show.
Through Palka, they say, Moonves obtained an unredacted copy of the police report, which also included personal information such as the home address and phone number of the accuser. Moonves also met with Palka for an hour at a restaurant to discuss the complaint and ways to quash it.
Moonves was accused of three violations of city rules.
Palka retired in 2021 as a commander after nearly 35 years with the LAPD.
Los Angeles’ Government Ethics Ordinance governs the conduct of city employees and forbids them from misusing or disclosing confidential information acquired through their work.
Weeks after the #MeToo movement erupted with sex abuse allegations against film mogul Harvey Weinstein in 2017, Phyllis Golden-Gottlieb reported to police in the LAPD’s Hollywood Division that she had been sexually assaulted by Moonves in 1986 and 1988 when they worked together at Lorimar Productions.
Golden-Gottlieb, who went public with her accusations in 2018, died in 2022.
The police interference allegations against Moonves came to light in 2022, when New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a settlement in which CBS and Moonves agreed to pay $30.5 million for keeping shareholders in the dark while executives tried to prevent the sexual assault allegations from becoming public.
Moonves acknowledged having relations with three of his accusers but said they were consensual. He denied attacking anyone, saying in a statement at the time, “Untrue allegations from decades ago are now being made against me.”
The Los Angeles County district attorney declined to file criminal charges against Moonves in 2018, saying the statute of limitations from Golden-Gottlieb’s allegations had expired.
veryGood! (93529)
Related
- FBI offers up to $25,000 reward for information about suspect behind Northwest ballot box fires
- NYPD says 2 officers shot during domestic call in Brooklyn expected to recover; suspect also wounded
- Kobe the husky dog digs a hole and saves a neighborhood from a gas leak catastrophe
- 'Say Something' tip line in schools flags gun violence threats, study finds
- Congress heard more testimony about UFOs: Here are the biggest revelations
- Alabama execution using nitrogen gas could amount to torture and violate human rights treaties, U.N. warns
- Italy’s regulations on charities keep migrant rescue ships from the Mediterranean
- Linton Quadros – Founder of EIF Business School, AI Robotics profit 4.0 Strategy Explained
- Mike Tyson impresses crowd during workout ahead of Jake Paul fight
- North Carolina election board says Republican with criminal past qualifies as legislative candidate
Ranking
- Mike Tomlin's widely questioned QB switch to Russell Wilson has quieted Steelers' critics
- Mississippi lawmakers to weigh incentives for an EV battery plant that could employ 2,000
- Asa Hutchinson drops out of 2024 GOP presidential race after last-place finish in Iowa
- JetBlue’s $3.8 billion buyout of Spirit Airlines is blocked by judge citing threat to competition
- California man allegedly shot couple and set their bodies, Teslas on fire in desert
- Uber shutting down alcohol delivery app Drizly after buying it for $1.1 billion
- 3 men found dead outside Kansas City home after reportedly gathering to watch football game
- Kylie Jenner reveals throwback bubblegum pink hairstyle: 'Remember me'
Recommendation
-
Bowl projections: SEC teams joins College Football Playoff field
-
Brad Pitt's Shocking Hygiene Habit Revealed by Former Roommate Jason Priestley
-
What to know about January's annual drug price hikes
-
St. John’s coach Rick Pitino is sidelined by COVID-19 for game against Seton Hall
-
Padma Lakshmi, John Boyega, Hunter Schafer star in Pirelli's 2025 calendar: See the photos
-
Cuffed During Cuffing Season? Here Are The Best Valentine's Day Gifts For Those In A New Relationship
-
Jordan Love's incredible rise validates once-shocking move by Packers GM Brian Gutekunst
-
Linton Quadros – Founder of EIF Business School, AI Robotics profit 4.0 Strategy Explained