Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Rather Files $70 Million Lawsuit Against CBS
New York Times ^ | September 19, 2007 | JACQUES STEINBERG

Posted on 09/19/2007 12:30:52 PM PDT by abb

Dan Rather, whose career at CBS News ground to an inglorious end 15 months ago over his role in an unsubstantiated report questioning President Bush’s Vietnam-era National Guard service, filed a $70 million lawsuit this afternoon against the network, its corporate parent and three of his former superiors.

Mr. Rather, 75, asserts that the network violated his contract by giving him insufficient airtime on “60 Minutes” after forcing him to step down as anchor of the “CBS Evening News” in March 2005. He also contends that the network committed fraud by commissioning a “biased” and incomplete investigation of the flawed Guard broadcast and, in the process, “seriously damaged his reputation.” As plaintiffs, the suit names CBS and its chief executive, Leslie Moonves; Viacom and its chief executive, Sumner Redstone; and Andrew Heyward, the former president of CBS News.

In the suit, filed this afternoon in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, Mr. Rather charges that CBS and its executives made him “a scapegoat” in an attempt “to pacify the White House,” though the formal complaint presents virtually no direct evidence to that effect. To buttress this claim, Mr. Rather quotes the executive who oversaw his regular segment on CBS Radio, telling Mr. Rather in November 2004 that he was losing that slot, effective immediately, because of “pressure from ‘the right wing.’ ”

He also continues to take vehement issue with the appointment by CBS of Richard Thornburgh, an attorney general in the administration of the elder President Bush, as one of the two outside panelists given the job of reviewing how the disputed broadcast had been prepared.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Business/Economy; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: buckhead; cbs; cbsnews; crybaby; danrather; fakebutaccurate; freeperbh; howtostealanelection; katiehasbetterlegs; lawsuit; loser; lyingliar; rather; ratherbiased; rathergate; tang; television; tempertantrum
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 181-200201-220221-240241-250 next last
To: abb

If this silly case would work out like the dry cleaner that had to close over a 54m suit it would be GRAND. CBS would have to close and Rather would lose. Dream on


201 posted on 09/19/2007 5:44:01 PM PDT by Hardcorps
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: freedomdefender

Good one. Might as well bump the thread here.


202 posted on 09/19/2007 5:53:04 PM PDT by Kevmo (We should withdraw from Iraq — via Tehran. And Duncan Hunter is just the man to get that job done.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: MindBender26

Rather Litigation Communications, Sonnenschein Nath &
Rosenthal LLP
Audrey Young, 1-888-248-4960


203 posted on 09/19/2007 6:09:18 PM PDT by abb (The Dinosaur Media: A One-Way Medium in a Two-Way World)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 171 | View Replies]

To: Diana in Wisconsin; IncPen; All

I scrolled this thread to see IncPen’s classic. Thanks Diana.

FR commentary at its finest BUMP!


204 posted on 09/19/2007 6:18:45 PM PDT by PGalt
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 193 | View Replies]

To: dirtboy
CBS to call buckhead as an expert witness as to just how big a moron Dan is.

BRILLIANT COMMENT BUMP!

205 posted on 09/19/2007 6:22:42 PM PDT by PGalt
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: abb

I hope he wins everylast penny of it and then the lawyers steal it (good Dem lawyers) and then give him a bill for another 10 mill. And then the IRS serves notice that it wants its cut from the 70 mill.


206 posted on 09/19/2007 6:35:19 PM PDT by bilhosty
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: All

The LA Times’ take on the story, fwiw.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv/la-ex-rather20sep20,0,6465400.story?coll=la-home-center

From the Los Angeles Times
Dan Rather files $70-million lawsuit against CBS
By Matea Gold
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

1:26 PM PDT, September 19, 2007

Longtime CBS anchor Dan Rather filed a $70-million lawsuit today against his former employer, alleging that executives at the broadcast network broke the terms of his contract by marginalizing him in his final days at CBS News and forcing him to retire early.

The lawsuit, filed in New York State Supreme Court this afternoon, comes as a startling postscript to the saga that dominated the news division three years ago, when a political furor erupted over a piece Rather anchored about President Bush’s service in the Texas Air National Guard, later found to be based on unsubstantiated documents.

In the wake of the controversy, a producer was fired and three executives were forced to resign. Six months later, Rather stepped down from the anchor chair of “CBS Evening News,” a year shy of his 25th anniversary in the job.

His lawsuit, first reported on the New York Times website, claims that CBS and its former parent company, Viacom, violated the terms of his contract and sought to tarnish his reputation and restrict his abilities to seek work in order to contain the political fallout from the story. The complaint names CBS Chief Executive Leslie Moonves, Viacom Chairman Sumner Redstone and former CBS News President Andrew Heyward as defendants.

snip


207 posted on 09/19/2007 6:36:21 PM PDT by abb (The Dinosaur Media: A One-Way Medium in a Two-Way World)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 205 | View Replies]

To: abb

Hey, Dan: Good night and good luck.


208 posted on 09/19/2007 6:47:29 PM PDT by popdonnelly (No more no win wars.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: abb

A court fight among liberals? My day is made.


209 posted on 09/19/2007 6:50:05 PM PDT by popdonnelly (No more no win wars.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: abb
” the suit names CBS and its chief executive, Leslie Moonves; Viacom and its chief executive, Sumner Redstone; and Andrew Heyward, the former president of CBS News”

See what happens when you put lib garbage, maggot, scumbag, slime, filth like Dan Rather in power positions. They end up suing you. Guess what! You had it coming for putting them in in the first place.

210 posted on 09/19/2007 6:51:08 PM PDT by bilhosty
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: abb
” the suit names CBS and its chief executive, Leslie Moonves; Viacom and its chief executive, Sumner Redstone; and Andrew Heyward, the former president of CBS News”

See what happens when you put lib garbage, maggot, scumbag, slime, filth like Dan Rather in power positions. They end up suing you. Guess what! You had it coming for putting them in in the first place.

211 posted on 09/19/2007 6:51:12 PM PDT by bilhosty
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: AdmSmith; Berosus; Convert from ECUSA; dervish; Ernest_at_the_Beach; Fred Nerks; KlueLass; ...

“seriously damaged his reputation”

70 cents is more like it.


212 posted on 09/19/2007 6:58:58 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Profile updated Wednesday, September 12, 2007. https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: abb

Big mega-firm. High quality, but not the best. In a way I’m a bit surprized they took the case.


213 posted on 09/19/2007 7:07:38 PM PDT by MindBender26 (Having my own CAR-15 in Vietnam meant never having to say I was sorry......)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 203 | View Replies]

To: abb
In his papers Mr. Rather claims that he is “the most experienced hurricane reporter in the United States.’

Another area I would not want to go if I was Dan.

Back in the days of steam powered TV, Dan was anchoring (if memory serves) at KHOU (?) in Houston. Some horse got stuck in high water because of an approaching hurricane, so Dan (this is all from waaay back memories) got on horse to ride it to safety.

Some thought it was heroic. Others thought it was a very stupid PR stunt.

We shall see.......

214 posted on 09/19/2007 7:15:51 PM PDT by MindBender26 (Having my own CAR-15 in Vietnam meant never having to say I was sorry......)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 203 | View Replies]

To: Fred Nerks

I love that cartoon! Thanks for posting it!


215 posted on 09/19/2007 8:23:20 PM PDT by kik5150
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 183 | View Replies]

To: abb
Men at some time are masters of their fates:
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.
-- Cassius to Brutus (Julius Caesar: 1.2.146)
216 posted on 09/19/2007 8:29:34 PM PDT by Mad_Tom_Rackham (Elections have consequences.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: abb

po’ danny boy!


217 posted on 09/19/2007 8:31:53 PM PDT by ken21 ( people die + you never hear from them again.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: abb

So, Dan;

It only took you 15 months to find a scumbag lawyer willing to take on your “suit”.

Geez, I hope that you didn’t have to wallow amongst the roadkill to finally get representation.!


218 posted on 09/19/2007 8:32:42 PM PDT by aShepard
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Teflonic
He seriously damaged his own reputation, is he hoping everyone has forgotten the details by now?

That's how things work in today's political environment. Wait a year and start reinventing yourself (with the help of the liberal establishment an MSM, who have an agenda to be maintained). Witness the Clintons, etc.

219 posted on 09/19/2007 8:34:52 PM PDT by Mad_Tom_Rackham (Elections have consequences.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: bilhosty

If Dan wins- or CBS caves-
Dan will give a big chunk to the Demonrat party-

That will solidify his daughter (who works for the Demons)

I hope Dan ends up like:

“a slow armadillo on a fast Texas highway”


220 posted on 09/19/2007 8:35:31 PM PDT by mj1234
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 206 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 181-200201-220221-240241-250 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson