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 ...
I’ll bet his lawyers are laughing at him behind his back.
All Hail the mighty Buckhead! (and others of course).
They certainly will try to pay Rather off rather than have investigations and scrutiny focused on their business and political practices and scruples.
I'd love to see this go to court, but I don't think Rather is that stupid. He'd be playing in the major dirty league, and he's not even close to being able to play in the league these three silk-suited thugs' control.
Leni
Betcha Dan Rather was bellerin’ and bawlin’ like a newborn calf when he lost his job. His reports were as crooked as a dog’s hind leg.
I have seen this popcorn pic way too often today. Now I gotta have some.
To: HowlinHowlin, every single one of these memos to file is in a proportionally spaced font, probably Palatino or Times New Roman.
In 1972 people used typewriters for this sort of thing, and typewriters used monospaced fonts.
The use of proportionally spaced fonts did not come into common use for office memos until the introduction of laser printers, word processing software, and personal computers. They were not widespread until the mid to late 90's. Before then, you needed typesetting equipment, and that wasn't used for personal memos to file. Even the Wang systems that were dominant in the mid 80's used monospaced fonts.
I am saying these documents are forgeries, run through a copier for 15 generations to make them look old.
This should be pursued aggressively.
If he’s suing for $70 million, I can’t imagine what Katie Couric will ask for when they finally can her.
As I recall, the “internal investigation” that CBS ostensibly performed in response to the outing of Rather was very weak and lead to lame if any conclusions of wrong-doing on the part of Rather. Dan Rather was subsequently marginalized to be sure, but CBS had the opportunity to shed a little light on this cockroach in order to fend off this sort of thing and opted not to. In a way, CBS is getting what they deserve.
And I believe they’ll come to a settlement with Danny-boy to avoid a lawsuit in the public limelight.
IOW, CBS will wimp-out again.
“He’s back up against the wall with his shirttail on fire and bill collectors at the door.”
Where oh where is my favorite cartoon posted here of a stick figured Dan Rather warrior(pointy hat, dented shield) defending himself against an onslaught FR Pajamadeen?
Someone please repost it!
Exactly.
I have trouble envisioning Redstone paying off Rather and getting the repeat claims by every entertainer and propagandist in his vast network brought about by the view that he will cough-up when sued.
This is hysterical. Funny news I’ve heard in a while. Dan should sue himself for being such an idiot. Let’s hope CBS countersues for having this nitwit as their lead anchor for all those years.
It's been announced that Walter Kronkite is coming back to TV.
Klinton and the libs must be jubilant. They just lost one but are gaining one back.
Those rides on Kronk's boat seems to have paid off for Billary.
FReeps Ahoy!
Leni (Bahama Mama)
Dan who?
I'm rooting for the lawyers here! Heres hoping that the lawyers for CBS, AND Rather as well, all come out $70 million ahead.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
This story will be hotter than an El Paso parking lot on an August afternoon.
What’s the frequency, Kenneth?
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