One CBS producer from the past is suing CBS, CBS News, and parent company Paramount Global for gender discrimination, claiming that she was unjustly terminated from her role in the news program.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!In a complaint submitted to Diversity, which was officially lodged in the federal court of New York on Tuesday, producer Alexandra Poulos alleges that the network fired her based on false accusations of bullying a subordinate producer under her supervision. Poulos highlights inconsistencies in the manner in which her firing was handled in comparison to numerous male producers and editors at “60 Minutes” who supposedly faced multiple complaints of sexual harassment.
The complaint affirms that “CBS, including CBS News, has been characterized by sexism and misogyny in its workplace for many years.” Poulos has cited instances of sexual misconduct and harassment involving former CBS president Leslie Moonves, former network anchor Charlie Rose, former “60 Minutes” executive producers Don Hewitt and Jeff Fager, as well as several other current producers of the program.
Last year, Poulos claims that she was released from her position without any severance pay after a fellow producer accused her of “bullying” and “crossing boundaries.” According to the complaint, CBS alleged that her termination was due to harassment and “justified its discriminatory decision” based on a “prejudiced investigation.”
The complaint states, “Poulos was unaware that CBS had dismissed male ’60 Minutes’ employees in response to a complaint about their behavior toward subordinates, which did not involve any claims of illegal discrimination or retaliation.” “In contrast to the severe treatment of Poulos, CBS has failed to take meaningful disciplinary action following serious allegations of misconduct against male employees.”
Those mentioned by Poulos in her complaint include former CBS News president Neeraj Khemlani, who left his position in August overseeing programs such as “60 Minutes,” “CBS Evening News,” and “Face the Nation.” He resigned from the position.
“Despite numerous complaints from CBS employees, particularly women and people of color, about his abusive conduct, Khemlani faced no significant consequences for his behavior and remains employed by CBS,” the complaint alleges.
Poulos claims gender discrimination, retaliation, and breach of contract. She is seeking her full severance pay, the return of all her earnings, as well as a court order requiring CBS to “take appropriate measures to eliminate the impact of these unlawful practices and to prevent them from affecting the plaintiff’s employment opportunities.”
Diversity has reached out to CBS for a statement.
Source: variety.com
