Why was Leslie Moonves fined?

Les Moonves, the former chief executive and president of CBS, has reached an agreement to pay an $11,250 fine to resolve a complaint accusing him of interfering with a police investigation into a sexual assault case. The Los Angeles City Ethics Commission released documents on Friday detailing the allegations against Moonves and his involvement with then-Captain Cory Palka of the Los Angeles Police Department.

According to the documents, Moonves collaborated closely with Palka in 2017 to obtain information about a sexual assault victim’s confidential police report against him. Palka, who had provided private security for Moonves at the Grammy Awards from 2008 to 2014, informed network officials about the complaint against the executive in November 2017. Through Palka, Moonves acquired an unredacted copy of the police report, which contained personal details such as the accuser’s home address and phone number. Moonves and Palka also met for an hour at a restaurant to discuss the complaint and strategies to suppress it.

The allegations against Moonves led to accusations of three violations of city rules. However, Moonves’ attorney has yet to respond to requests for comment on the matter. Palka retired as a commander from the LAPD in 2021 after serving nearly 35 years with the department.

Los Angeles’ Government Ethics Ordinance governs the conduct of city employees and prohibits the misuse or disclosure of confidential information acquired through their work. The Ethics Commission is set to convene next week to review the settlement.

The incident 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 concealing sexual assault allegations from shareholders. These allegations surfaced amid the #MeToo movement following accusations against film mogul Harvey Weinstein in 2017.

One of Moonves’ accusers, Phyllis Golden-Gottlieb, reported to police in the LAPD’s Hollywood Division weeks after the #MeToo movement gained momentum. She alleged that Moonves sexually assaulted her in 1986 and 1988 while they worked together at Lorimar Productions. Golden-Gottlieb went public with her accusations in 2018 and sadly passed away in 2022.

Moonves admitted to having consensual relationships with three of his accusers but vehemently denied any wrongdoing. He stated that the allegations against him from decades ago were untrue. The Los Angeles County district attorney declined to press criminal charges against Moonves in 2018, citing the expiration of the statute of limitations for Golden-Gottlieb’s allegations.