In 2017, 35 female employees of CBS News publicly accused anchor Charlie Rose of sexual harassment. Among their allegations? Unwanted sexual innuendos, gendered slurs and physical contact, including caressing and kissing. Three of these women filed a lawsuit against CBS News.
The women also claim that the network was fully aware of Rose’s behavior but chose to disregard the behavior and retaliate against the accusers. Today, representatives for CBS announced that the network has settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed sum.
The accusations: Dozens of incidents over several decades
The three plaintiffs also filed a lawsuit against Charlie Rose, which is still active. They allege dozens of incidents of harassment during their employment at CBS from 2016 to 2018. They also allege that his abuse of female employees spans several decades.
Their claim is just one of many since last year, when several women accused producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault. Since then, hundreds of women and men have come forward to accuse prominent media figures of sexual misconduct.
Lawsuits offer help to harassment victims
Sexual harassment is not confined to the media industry: Female employees in every field may be victim to sexual harassment and other gender-based discrimination. The era of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements has shown that thousands of women throughout the country have suffered workplace harassment.
There are several ways to handle workplace harassment. One is to silently endure it and hope that the perpetrator will end his or her abuse. Another is to report it to supervisors up the chain of command. Victims may also contact their employer’s human resources department in hopes of getting help. However, resolving the issue internally is not always feasible. In some situations, victims—like the women from CBS—must find legal representation and pursue litigation.
