The Perverted Lives of the Rich and Famous > Charlie Rose, completely innocent - all 35 complainents were wrong

 

Charlie Rose settles sex harassment suit filed

by 3 ex-CBS employees: report

By 

Ariel Zilber

Published Nov. 27, 2024

 

Charlie Rose has settled a six-year-old lawsuit filed by three ex-CBS employees who had accused the legendary TV host of sexual harassment.

The lawsuit, which alleged that Rose engaged in unwanted kissing and touching and also made inappropriate comments, was initially filed in New York Supreme Court in 2018 by former CBS staffers Katherine Brooks Harris, Sydney McNeal and Yuqing “Chelsea” Wei.

The three women released a statement to the court that was signed on Sunday which read: “This case is about workplace interactions.”

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Charlie Rose has settled a sexual harassment lawsuit that was filed by three former employees of CBS.

Bloomberg

“Through the process of years of litigation, the parties have come to better understand each others’ points of view,” the statement read.

“On reflection, and after having the benefit of discovery, we realize that different people could interpret the conduct in different ways, and therefore we have resolved the claims.”

The three women said in the statement that they “do not assign any bad motive or ill intent to Charlie Rose.”

The parties settled the case on Sunday “with prejudice and without costs to any party,” according to court documents.

Specific terms of the settlement were not made public. Jury selection for a trial was set to begin Monday.

Court documents show that Wei told HR officials at CBS News that “I experience nothing sexually inappropriate” from Rose.

Right! Then why did you sue him?

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Rose with Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King in 2012.

AP

Harris, meanwhile, wrote an email to Rose after he was fired asking him for career advice, saying “your interactions with me were always professional and respectful and that’s the only experience i have with you.”

Right! Then why did you sue him?

The three women, who worked at “CBS This Morning” while Rose was co-anchor, had alleged in their complaint that Rose made inappropriate sexual comments to them and frequently caressed and touched their arms, shoulders, waist and back.

Rose is also alleged to have pulled them close to his body and kissed them on the cheek. The lawsuit included allegations that Rose detailed his sexual conquests to McNeal and Harris and directed them to share details with him about their sex lives.

The former host is also alleged to have suggested to McNeal and Harris that they become lovers, according to court papers.

Gosh! I don't see anything sexual, disrespectful, or unprofessional there at all. Do you?

An attorney for Rose declined to comment.

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Rose was fired by CBS News and PBS dropped his popular talk show in late 2017.

AP

The Post has sought comment from Harris, McNeal and Wei.

In late 2017, Rose was fired by CBS and PBS dropped his long-running interview talk show after the Washington Post published a story in which eight women alleged that he sexually harassed them in incidents spanning over two decades.

In May 2018, the Washington Post ran a follow-up piece that included accusations of sexual harassment against Rose by 27 additional women.

The second Washington Post article prompted Wei, Harris and McNeal to file a sexual harassment lawsuit against Rose and CBS News.

The two former staffers accused Rose of “blatant and repeated sexual harassment harassment” that was committed against “three junior female employees in their 20s.”

Court documents obtained by The Post included statements provided by Wei to a human resources officer at CBS News in November 2017 in which the former staffer said that “I experience nothing sexually inappropriate” from Rose.

Wei alleged in the meeting with HR that she did “experience verbal abuse” from Rose, who is alleged to have reprimanded her by saying: “Why can’t you just get this right.”

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Charlie Rose was fired from his gig as co-anchor of “CBS This Morning” alongside King and Norah O’Donnell.

CBS

The court documents also included a copy of an email that Harris wrote to Rose on Jan. 3, 2018 — weeks after his termination from CBS News.

The email, whose subject line reads “checking in,” began with Harris writing: “Hi Charlie,…”

“I’m sure the past weeks have been very painful,” Harris wrote. “It seems that you acknowledge having made some unfortunate misjudgments in the past.”

“Notwithstanding, your interactions with me were always professional and respectful and that’s the only experience I have with you.”

“I don’t know if you have had time to sort our your path forward,” Harris continued. “Assuming there may not be further opportunities with you, I am pondering my next move and a new start and I was wondering what you think I should do.”

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Rose flanked by King and Erica Hill in 2012.

CBS

Harris wrote that she “would like to stay in news and you know the industry better than anyone.”

“You also know me and my strengths,” she continued, adding: “I value your experience and your opinion and would love to know what you think might be a good step for me.”

“Looking forward to hearing from you. Happy New Year,” Brooks wrote. She signed the letter: “Best, Brooks.”

The documents also included a note from McNeal’s psychiatrist in which she professed to “zero experience” of sexual harassment from Rose.

CBS News settled with the three women in December 2018.

Very curious! Charlie is completely innocent and all 35 female complainants were wrong! Good grief!

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The Perverted Lives of the Rich and Famous > BBC Top news presenter avoids prison for CSAM

 

Is this an example of the values, the moral character, of news presenters today?

Huw Edwards given suspended jail term

for child sex abuse images

Noor Nanji - Culture reporter and Jacqueline Howard - BBC News

Mon, September 16, 2024 at 1:25 p.m. PDT·6 min read

Disgraced BBC News presenter Huw Edwards has been given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, after he admitted charges of making indecent images of children.

The court heard that among a number of WhatsApp exchanges with a man later convicted of sex offences, Edwards was offered “naughty” images of somebody described as "yng (sic)", to which he replied "go on".

He will be placed on the sex offenders' register for seven years.

In July, the former newsreader admitted having 41 images, which were sent to him on WhatsApp – including some showing a victim aged between seven and nine.

• Four key takeaways from Huw Edwards' sentencing

Watch on iPlayer

• Huw Edwards: Fall from Grace

During his sentencing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court he was also told to attend a sex offender treatment programme.

Edwards was sent images by a 25-year-old convicted sex offender called Alex Williams.

The court heard that in another exchange with Williams, Edwards replied "yes" followed by three 'X's when asked whether he wanted sexual images of a person whose "age could be discerned as being between 14 and 16".

He responded to Williams with: "Amazing". The court heard he was also sent a link with more images, then discussed buying Williams a Christmas present.

Two months later, after yet another exchange, Edward told Williams: "Don't send anything underage", however this was not the last contact Edwards had with Williams.

The judge sentencing him remarked that the former broadcaster's "long-earned reputation" was "in tatters".

A BBC spokesperson said the corporation was "appalled" by Edwards' crimes.

"He has betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him.”

Huw Edwards leaving court on Monday [Reuters]

Edwards pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children. Under the law, images can mean photos or clips.

The chief magistrate, District Judge Paul Goldspring, accepted Edwards’ submission that he did not make or create the images in the conventional sense, and instead met the legal definition of doing so by opening them on WhatsApp.

The court previously heard that Edwards sent hundreds of pounds to Williams after he sent him pornographic images.

While most of the images were of adult men, a significant proportion of the images were of children.

Of the 377 images, 41 were indecent images, which means they were underage.

The court heard that the Category A images Edwards was in possession of were mostly children aged 13-15.

One child was aged between seven and nine.

• Huw Edwards scandal: Shock, anger and damage limitation in the BBC

• Huw Edwards paid hundreds of pounds for images, says prosecutor at sentencing hearing

• Timeline: How the Huw Edwards scandal unfolded

The offences were committed between December 2020 and August 2021.

Williams first contacted Edwards in 2018 via Instagram, and has since been convicted and sentenced for distribution and possession of indecent images of children – and it was during that investigation that Edwards’ involvement was revealed, the court heard.

Throughout the hearing, Edwards sat leaning forward, his hands clasped in front of his mouth, elbows propped on his thighs.

Summing up the case, the judge said there was no evidence that Edwards did anything further with the images he received from Williams.

The court heard Edwards had not directly paid for the images, but that there was a clear inference that Williams would request gifts and presents after sending them, and that Edwards had sent money, described by the prosecution as amounting to around £1,000 to £1,500.

Edwards had told Williams not to send images of people who were underage, but only at a later stage, the judge said, adding “this is not a case where, despite protestation not to, nonetheless the images were still sent”.

But the judge found Edwards’ remorse was genuine, and he said the former broadcaster’s decision-making at the time of the offences may have been impaired by his mental health difficulties.

He said Edwards did not pose a risk to the public or children, and an immediate custodial sentence was not necessary because the evidence showed he could be rehabilitated.

The appropriate sentence would be 12 months for the most severe abuse images, the judge said, but, taking into account the mitigation and early guilty plea, he said the sentence would be six months suspended for two years.

It means Edwards will not go to jail unless he commits another offence within the sentence period.

The magistrate also read from a pre-sentence report to highlight the impact such offences have on the victims.

It described how distributing child abuse images “perpetuates a cycle of abuse” and can lead to ongoing traumatisation of victims, impacting them throughout their lives and potentially making them vulnerable to further sexual abuse.

Edwards fronted BBC News coverage including the 2019 general election results [BBC]

Edwards was found to have seven category A images - the most serious classification.

He also had 12 category B pictures, and 22 photographs in category C, the least serious classification.

The category B and C pictures showed children aged between 12 to 15.

Reacting to the sentencing, the prime minister said he was "shocked and appalled" by the case.

Until last year, Edwards was one of the main presenters on BBC One's News at Ten and often fronted coverage of major national events.

He was the BBC's highest-paid journalist, receiving between £475,000 and £479,999 between April 2023 and April 2024.

The BBC has asked him to return the £200,000 he earned between his arrest last November and his resignation this April.

The BBC's director general said last week that "discussions are under way" about the possibility of clawing back the money.

Making indecent images - what does the law say?

"Making" indecent images can have a wide legal definition, and covers more than simply taking or filming the original picture or clip.

The Crown Prosecution Service says it can include:

• opening an email attachment containing an image

• downloading an image from a website to a screen

• storing an image on a computer

• accessing a pornographic website in which an image appears in an automatic "pop-up" window

• receiving an image via social media, even if unsolicited and even if part of a group

• or live-streaming images of children

A court must also decide whether an offence falls into the category of possession, distribution or production.

According to the Sentencing Council, which issues guidelines on sentencing that the courts must follow unless it is in the interests of justice not to do so, creating the original image counts as production - the more serious of the three categories. It adds that "making an image by simple downloading should be treated as possession for the purposes of sentencing".

In a statement, Derek Ray-Hill, interim CEO at the Internet Watch Foundation, said: “It is shocking that an app most people have on the phone in their pocket allows child sexual abuse imagery to proliferate.

“As the regulator, Ofcom needs to utilise the full strength of the Online Safety Act, and compel companies to use their best endeavours to prevent images from circulating in end to end encrypted environments."

Additional reporting by Ben Hatton

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