David Letterman doesn’t work for CBS, and Letterman’s production company, Worldwide Pants, has said it has a sexual harassment policy that somehow allows Letterman’s conduct. “Dave is not in violation of our policy and no one has ever raised a complaint against him,” a company spokesman told the Los Angeles Times. But the extortion attempt related to his affairs with subordinates has set off alarm bells for many lawyers. Atlanta attorney Andria Ryan told the National Law Journal that while the public hears his confession and “says, ‘Oh, what a shame for his wife, his family or his job,’ my first reaction was, ‘This is a sex harassment suit waiting to happen.’” San Francisco attorney Mark Askanas said the danger for employers is that other co-workers will see favoritism connected to the affair. “You can contain the relationship, but how do you contain the impact it has on other employees?” Askanas asked. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission saw 14,000 sexual harassment complaints in 2008, a 16 percent spike from 2007 and the first increase since 2000.
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14 Comments
How is consensual sex harassment?
The media is doing their damnedest to make an issue where there is none. While one might question dating subordinates, there’s no law against it as long as it’s consentual.
So far, I haven’t heard any of Letterman’s “victims” complain. That’ll change as soon as the lawyers find out who the “victims” are.
“‘Oh, what a shame for his wife, his family”
Why? The “affairs” all took place before he was married.
Well the…ahem, “affairs”, took place when he was living with his future wife. None of my business. I haven’t watched Dave for years. Since he quit dropping things off buildings.
Sort of like he dropped this on his wife.
BlueJay
Posted October 7, 2009 at 1:13 pm | Permalink
“‘Oh, what a shame for his wife, his family”
Why? The “affairs” all took place before he was married.
——————————
Since he has only been “married” to the mother of his 5 year old son, I guess maybe you could say that.
He admitted his wife was “horribly hurt” after he confessed on Thursday that he had had affairs with female members of his staff.
So why woould she be so “horribly hurt?”
probably as looney as him.
So then, it must be okay for fortune 500 CEO’s or Federal Bosses to bang their employees as long as it is consensual.
Here, let me write a letter to the EEOC and tell them they have their policies all wrong and need to re-write them.
Dear EEOC,
If you are the boss, it’s okay to bang subordinates. You know, as long as there is no favorable treatment on the job afterwards (wink,wink.)
Sincerely,
U. R. Hypocrite
“Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when we practice to deceive.” Or something like that.
So who’s the bad guy in this situation. Looks to me like it was the ex-boyfriend who read his ex-girlfriend’s diary and then tried to get even with Letterman.
Next thing we know, President Obama will be brought in representing the federal government position.
Lots of smoke but no fire so move on.
Wink,
You’re assuming that there’s a bad guy and a good guy. Hey, none of those involved were exactly pure of heart in this matter. Letterman used his clout and fame to get laid by an employee. She or they as the case may be played around in hopes of a little office favoritism. The ex thought he found a payday in that diary. Doesn’t sound to me like any of them are any better than the others. They deserved each other.
What a shame for the intern, a college girl in the 1990s, victimized and exploited by the boss Letterman while attempting to learn a trade. Pretty sleazy even for showbiz, even criminal.
Fire Letterman.
Olberman brought up another issue:
Holderman is a producer for CBS News. His extortion attempt amounts to offering to suppress what would be a celebrity scandal news story if he got the $2 Million dollars.
“parkay” casts the first stone.
(Okay, not the first. But obviously “parkay” thinks he’s “without sin.”)
If Letterman should be fired, what about David Vitter? Or John Ensign? Or Mark Sanford?
Where’s the outrage, “parkay?”
Too bad Letterman didn’t shoot a guy in the face outside a church service. You’d run to his defense.
I’m rather insulted that people are portraying this woman as a victim. Can she not make her own decisions? This doesn’t sound like he used his power and influence to coerce her or anything. There is exploitation that is real and should be addressed, but this aint it. This was two people making a bad decision.
It isn’t odd that people in the same profession date and even marry. Same personality types, same interests. Its actually a good place to meet a mate. Would this even be talked about if Letterman had been single? Nope.
This stems from the puritanical anti-sex community that is outraged that Letterman had sex outside of marriage. I absolutely believe that you should be true and faithful to your spouse- but we don’t know their marriage.
The criminal is being charged in this matter. The rest is none of our business. It isn’t like he’s a leader claiming moral superiority and trying to pass laws on how others should live and then being a dirty dog behind the scenes.
what your hero, bill oreilly did, calling an unwilling employee relentlessly and talking about taking a shower with him and did she ever, you know, own and use a loofa as a tool to reach climax etc…
now that’s sexual harrassment and YOU keep him employed.
same with the right wing politicans like vitter, larry craig, foley, and the group yelling at bill clinton while they screwed anything walking.
you neo-Cons must be proud huh.
I for one, like the fact Letterman made the whole thing public, and didn’t use the typical pants-down politicians excuse of, “It wasn’t me!” Honesty is not dead; what a wonderful thing.