CBS declines to take action against Moonves

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The CBS board of directors meeting last week elected not to take action at this time against Chariman, CEO and Valley Stream Central High School graduate Les Moonves, 68, who has been accused of sexual misconduct with at least six women. At the same time, the media giant is “in the process of selecting outside counsel to conduct an independent investigation,” according to a statement released to the media.

Moonves has consistently shown support for the #MeToo Movement and has spoken out against sexual violence in the workplace. Recent reports, however, show allegations of misconduct throughout his long career.

In an extended report last month, The New Yorker magazine published detailed allegations of misconduct in interviews with four of the six women who leveled allegations against Moonves. Those who spoke on the record included Emmy award-winning actress Illeana Douglas. Douglas described a 1997 meeting with Moonves during which she said he was “violently kissing” her while holding her down,” according to the New Yorker story.

Moonves, whose family to Valley Stream in 1950, graduated from Central High School in 1967. A 1971 graduate of Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Penn., he joined CBS in 1995 as president of the network’s entertainment division, after serving in executive positions at 20th Century Fox and Columbia Pictures. He was president of CBS Television from 1998 to 2003, when he was tapped to take the helm as chairman and chief executive officer.