By Joe Flint 

This article is being republished as part of our daily reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the U.S. print edition of The Wall Street Journal (December 15, 2018).

CBS Corp. detailed where it plans to give part of the exit package of Leslie Moonves, its former chairman and CEO who resigned in September in the wake of allegations of sexual harassment.

The company on Friday said it would donate $20 million to 18 organizations dedicated to eliminating workplace sexual harassment, a commitment it made after Mr. Moonves's resignation.

The $20 million figure will be deducted from any severance Mr. Moonves would get from the company. The CBS board of directors is wrapping up an investigation into Mr. Moonves's behavior and the company's overall workplace culture that the board will use to determine whether the former CEO will receive any of an estimated $100 million exit package.

The 18 organizations include Time's Up Entertainment and the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund, the National Women's Law Center, Press Forward, New York Women's Foundation and Girls for Gender Equity, CBS said.

Mr. Moonves faced new allegations of sexual harassment this week, including from actress Cybill Shepherd, who in a radio interview Thursday said her CBS sitcom was canceled after she rebuffed Mr. Moonves's advances.

A spokesman for Mr. Moonves didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Mr. Moonves has previously said he regretted behavior that made women uncomfortable but denied retaliating against those who pushed him away. He also denied having nonconsensual relations.

The investigation into Mr. Moonves's behavior was expected to be concluded and reviewed by the board perhaps as early as this week. The New York Times obtained a draft of the investigation that revealed, among other things, that Mr. Moonves sought to prevent an actress from coming forward with a complaint by getting her a role on a show.

CBS confirmed another portion of the report in the New York Times on Thursday that actress Eliza Dushku received a $9.5 million settlement after she was taken off the drama "Bull" soon after she complained about sexually charged comments by show star Michael Weatherly. Ms. Dushku had to sign a nondisclosure agreement as part of the settlement but she did speak to investigators. A spokesman for the investigation said NDAs would be waived so people wouldn't be restrained from coming forward.

The leaks have created problems for CBS and law firms Debevoise & Plimpton LLP and Covington & Burling LLP that were retained to lead the investigation. Mary Jo White, who is heading the investigation for Debevoise & Plimpton, expressed regret to the CBS board of directors Monday about the leak, according to a person familiar with the matter.

In a joint statement, the organizations thanked CBS for its donations. "We also recognize these funds are not a panacea, nor do they erase or absolve decades of bad behavior." The organizations added, "we look forward to receiving the full results of the investigation into Mr. Moonves and an update on additional concrete commitments that CBS -- and all organizations -- will make to support lasting change."

CBS hasn't said whether it will publicly release any of the findings of its investigation. While Mr. Moonves's exit agreement includes a confidentiality clause, it also states that CBS can release material if it determines that it has a fiduciary duty to do so or that it is in the best interest of the company and its shareholders.

Write to Joe Flint at joe.flint@wsj.com

 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 15, 2018 02:47 ET (07:47 GMT)

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