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A former “60 Minutes” producer claims she was wrongly fired from the long-running newsmagazine show last year, and now she’s suing CBS, CBS News and parent company Paramount Global for discrimination – naming many names.
In a sprawling lawsuit filed today in federal court in New York, Alexandra Poolos says she was axed from 60 Minutes in early 2022 after 10 award-winning years because an allegedly disingenuous and self-serving colleague accused her of being too aggressive in the workplace . Poolos and her PC attorneys at Vladeck, Raskin & Clark claim she was sued for the “sexism and misogyny that has ‘defined’ CBS News, and the network wanted to get rid of her because of concerns about the behavior of others in of the organization.
“CBS has a long history of discouraging men from answering for their misconduct, including unlawful conduct,” the 46-page filing states bluntly, naming former CEO Les Moonves, former 60 Minutes executive producer Jeff Fager and current 60 Minutes associate producer David Levine and former CBS News president Neeraj Khemlani, who left suddenly in August, were among those in attendance. Her lawsuit also highlights the legal action London-based 60 Minutes associate producer Cassandra Vinograd took against her in 2019 over alleged retaliation by CBS after she spoke out about the behavior of her boss, producer Michael Gavshon, had complained.
“Sexism and misogyny dominated the CBS workplace for many years, including CBS News.”
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“Poolos was not spared from the toxic environment toward women that has long plagued the network,” the lawsuit says of her tenure at 60 Minutes, which began in 1968. “Her former boss, producer Shachar Bar-On, was emotionally and verbally abusive and sexually harassed Poolos for years,” it says, detailing alleged instances of pornography, verbal insults about correspondent Lesley Stahl’s appearance, masturbation and a drunken attempt to kill Poolos to get him to “come to his hotel room.” The lawsuit continues: “Throughout Poolos’ tenure, male employees have faced no consequences for their actions, and many continue to work for the defendants, including Bar-On, despite substantiated allegations of abuse, sexism and sexual harassment.”
When it comes to the details of her own discrimination and retaliation case, Poolos offers her perspective on what really happened.
“Poolos’ career came to an abrupt halt when an associate producer, Collette Richards, made false accusations against Poolos that she was a ‘thug’ and had ‘no boundaries,’ which Richards apparently fabricated to cover up her own serious flaws, including hers “complete refusal to do her job,” says the jury filing the lawsuit.
“Defendants applied a different standard to Poolos than to male producers, who were accused of far more serious misconduct, including unlawful conduct, and fired Poolos in February 2022,” the lawsuit continues.
“The defendants based their discriminatory decision on a biased investigation conducted by Renee Balducci, vice president of human resources, and on information provided to the network by a third party, CNN producer Scott Bronstein, a man, even though Bronstein Richards’ close friend, mentor and boss was a reference to secure her job at 60 Minutes. At the same time, CBS refused to consider the testimony of Poolos, a 10-year veteran of the defendants, undermining the allegations against her. To make matters worse, defendants not only fired Poolos, but they also refused to pay Poolos severance, in violation of their contractual obligations, and continued to assault her after she left.”
When asked by Deadline for comment on Poolos’ lawsuit, a CBS News spokesperson said, “We do not comment on pending litigation.”
Poolos is seeking various damages, but the Peabody Award winner also wants her full severance package and her “all for all earnings.” Additionally, the CNN alum wants a court ruling to “take the positive steps necessary to ensure that the effects of these unlawful practices are eliminated and do not continue to harm Plaintiff’s employment opportunities.”
The 56th season of 60 Minutes premiered on September 17, 2023.