How an LAPD Officer Helped Les Moonves Fight an Assault Complaint - The New York Times

When the New York lawyer general’s bureau announced this week that the erstwhile CBS main enforcement Leslie Moonves and CBS’s genitor company, Paramount Global, had agreed to wage $9.75 million aft a authorities probe recovered that they had concealed allegations of intersexual misconduct against him, the quality was accompanied by different revelation.

The relationship from the bureau of Letitia James besides made nationalist however Mr. Moonves, who stepped down from CBS successful 2018 aft aggregate misconduct allegations, and different web officials worked with a skipper successful the Los Angeles Police Department to suppress details of a ceremonial intersexual battle ailment against the amusement titan. The ailment was filed with the section successful 2017 by Phyllis Golden-Gottlieb, who had worked with Mr. Moonves decades earlier.

The L.A.P.D. said this week that it had begun an probe into the present retired captain’s conduct. But the circumstances surrounding the officer’s actions and Mr. Moonves’s eventual downfall, overmuch of which has not antecedently been elaborate publicly, item the almighty amusement industry’s attempting to usage immoderate means astatine its disposal, including relationships with instrumentality enforcement, to effort and support allegations of misconduct quiet. And that tin beryllium particularly existent erstwhile the allegations impact a “V.I.P.,” arsenic the Los Angeles constabulary described Mr. Moonves successful a referral to the region territory lawyer regarding the accusation, which was viewed by The New York Times.

This relationship is based connected galore interviews, including with Ms. Golden-Gottlieb and Gil Schwartz, the erstwhile caput of firm communications for CBS; confidential notes of interviews of Mr. Moonves by CBS lawyers; a idiosyncratic straight acquainted with however Ms. Golden-Gottlieb’s ailment was handled by the police; and documents obtained by the New York lawyer general’s office. It is elaborate successful a forthcoming publication by these 2 reporters, “Unscripted: The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy,” to beryllium published by Penguin Press successful February. The L.A.P.D. did not respond to a petition for remark for this article.

In November 2017, a period aft intersexual battle allegations against Harvey Weinstein exploded into nationalist view, Ms. Golden-Gottlieb was watching late-night TV astatine her location successful the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. Ms. Golden-Gottlieb, past 82, was a seasoned tv shaper who had fixed up her amusement vocation years earlier to thatch special-needs children.

“For those of you tuning successful to spot my interrogation with Louis C.K. tonight, I person immoderate atrocious news,” Stephen Colbert said that nighttime connected CBS’s “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” Louis C.K. had canceled his quality aft The New York Times published an article successful which 5 women described him committing acts of intersexual misconduct.

For Ms. Golden-Gottlieb, the revelation was the latest achy reminder of her clip astatine Lorimar successful the 1980s, erstwhile she was successful complaint of sitcom development. She had her ain stories to tell, and arsenic she sat connected her sofa successful beforehand of the television, she decided to instrumentality enactment that precise nighttime — not by calling a newsman but by filing a constabulary complaint.

At first, Ms. Golden-Gottlieb did not cognize wherever to go, but she rapidly recovered the code for the Hollywood constabulary station, conscionable southbound of Sunset Boulevard connected North Wilcox.

Ms. Golden-Gottlieb told the serviceman connected work that she had worked with Mr. Moonves portion she was astatine Lorimar and helium was the younger, fast-rising caput of movies for television. One time successful 1986, she said, Mr. Moonves invited her to lunch. They got successful his car, and helium drove her not to a restaurant, arsenic she was expecting, but to a secluded area. There helium parked, unzipped his pants, grabbed her caput and forced it onto his erect penis until helium ejaculated.

Two years later, she said she was successful his bureau erstwhile Mr. Moonves excused himself to get a solid of wine. When helium returned, his pants were down. She ran from the room.

The adjacent day, helium berated her, past threw her against a wall. She fell to the level and couldn’t get up. She laic determination crying.

That was the communicative she told the police. She requested confidential treatment, but her ailment did not enactment confidential for long.

The table officers moving that nighttime had nary thought who Mr. Moonves was. But, according to a idiosyncratic straight acquainted with however the ailment was handled, a elder ticker commandant recognized Mr. Moonves’s sanction and alerted Cory Palka, a seasoned constabulary skipper for the precinct, due to the fact that determination was a notification protocol regarding celebrities.

Mr. Palka moonlighted arsenic a information serviceman for CBS and worked for the web astatine the Grammy Awards amusement from 2008 to 2014. He knew and liked Mr. Moonves. Not agelong aft Ms. Golden-Gottlieb’s sojourn to the constabulary station, Mr. Palka called Ian Metrose, the caput of peculiar events for CBS, and near a message.

“Hey, Ian, it’s Cory Palka,” helium said successful the message, which was included successful the lawyer general’s report. “I cognize we haven’t talked successful a while. I americium a skipper astatine L.A.P.D. Hollywood. Somebody walked successful the presumption astir a mates hours agone and made allegations against your brag regarding a intersexual assault. It’s confidential, arsenic you know, but telephone me, and I tin springiness you immoderate of the details and fto you cognize what the allegation is earlier it goes to the media oregon gets out. So, each right, speech to you aft a while. Bye.”

Mr. Metrose promptly alerted his boss, Mr. Schwartz, who recalled successful a aboriginal interrogation that helium was shocked. Reporters from respective outlets, including The Washington Post and The New York Times, had been calling him astir rumors involving imaginable allegations against Mr. Moonves. But Mr. Moonves had earlier assured Mr. Schwartz that CBS had thing to interest about.

Earlier that month, Mr. Schwartz heard that Ronan Farrow of The New Yorker, whose reporting had helped bring down Mr. Weinstein, was making calls astir Mr. Moonves. Mr. Schwartz braced himself for more. But helium heard nothing.

But a constabulary study was a reportable fact. Mr. Schwartz told Mr. Metrose to get a copy, and Mr. Palka obliged, adjacent though the study was marked “confidential” successful 3 places. (Mr. Schwartz died successful 2020, and Ms. Golden-Gottlieb successful 2022. Mr. Palka did not respond to a connection near connected his cellphone connected Thursday. CBS declined to remark and besides said Mr. Metrose declined to comment.)

The incidents successful the study were excessively aged to prosecute Mr. Moonves, but Ms. Golden-Gottlieb’s allegations were graphic. If the contents of a ceremonial constabulary ailment became public, it could beryllium a nationalist relations nightmare for CBS, particularly successful the aboriginal days of the #MeToo movement. It was a Saturday, but Mr. Schwartz called Mr. Moonves, who was astatine his eight-year-old son’s shot game.

Mr. Schwartz outlined the allegations.

“That’s preposterous,” Mr. Moonves responded, according to Mr. Schwartz’s recollection of the conversation.

“Do you cognize the woman?” Mr. Schwartz asked.

Mr. Moonves told Mr. Schwartz that helium did, that he’d had consensual enactment a fewer times with Ms. Golden-Gottlieb and that they had been “friendly before, during and after.”

Mr. Schwartz didn’t privation to perceive overmuch more, successful lawsuit helium got calls from reporters. That mode helium could honestly accidental helium didn’t cognize anything.

Mr. Moonves promised helium would, though helium did not bash truthful until overmuch later, erstwhile questioned by a lawyer representing directors connected the board. A spokesperson for Mr. Moonves declined to remark this week.

Mr. Schwartz drafted a effect to imaginable media inquiries. If asked, helium would corroborate that CBS was alert of a constabulary probe of Mr. Moonves, accidental that the CBS committee had been notified and thing more. Mr. Schwartz alerted his property squad implicit the weekend, sending an email to one: “Watch for messages and don’t miss immoderate please. Will explicate later. I wouldn’t fuss you if this wasn’t serious.”

Time passed, and nary reporters brought it up. Mr. Schwartz heard from galore radical who were contacted by reporters who had heard much rumors astir Mr. Moonves, but nary had offered immoderate factual allegations.

But Mr. Moonves wasn’t taking immoderate chances. Without telling Mr. Schwartz, helium hired Blair Berk, a transgression defence lawyer.

Ms. Berk got successful interaction with Mr. Palka and asked him astir the constabulary report. On Nov. 15, Mr. Palka texted Mr. Metrose and Ms. Berk to accidental he’d “make interaction & admonish the accuser time astir refraining from going to the media and maintaining ‘her’ confidentiality.”

He added that they would “be the archetypal and lone constituent of contact” regarding the investigation. Ms. Berk did not respond to a petition for remark this week.

Ten days later, Mr. Moonves arranged to conscionable with Mr. Palka and Mr. Metrose astatine a Westlake Village edifice and vineyard. Mr. Moonves stressed that helium wanted the probe closed, and they discussed contacting different nationalist officials.

But that proved unnecessary. On Nov. 30, according to the lawyer general’s report, Mr. Metrose told Mr. Moonves that helium had heard from Mr. Palka that they could halt worrying: “It’s a definite reject,” Mr. Metrose said, adding that determination were nary witnesses oregon corroborative evidence.

In the constabulary referral to the Los Angeles County territory attorney, Ms. Golden-Gottlieb was identified lone arsenic Jane Doe. Mr. Moonves was formally designated arsenic a “V.I.P.” The adjunct territory lawyer reviewing the substance noted, “The applicable statutes of regulation person expired arsenic to each 3 incidents.”

That was the extremity of it, oregon truthful it seemed.

Less than a twelvemonth later, Mr. Farrow reported successful The New Yorker connected respective allegations against Mr. Moonves, including from Ms. Golden-Gottlieb. On Sept. 9, 2018, successful his 2nd of 2 articles connected Mr. Moonves, Mr. Farrow revealed the beingness of the constabulary report. That aforesaid day, Mr. Moonves resigned from CBS.

Mr. Palka wrote Mr. Metrose soon after: “I’m truthful atrocious to perceive this quality Ian. Sickens me. We worked truthful hard to effort to debar this day. I americium truthful wholly sad.”

Two days later, helium wrote Mr. Moonves directly: “Les -I’m profoundly atrocious that this has happened. I volition ever basal with, by and pledge my allegiance to you. You person embodied leadership, people and the highest of quality done each of this. With upmost respect.”