Dan Rather sues CBS for $70M
p2pnet news | TV:- Famed former CBS TV anchorman Dan Rather is suing his former employer for $70 million alleging the company made him a “scapegoat” for a discredited story about George W. Bush’s military record.
“Maintaining he was sacrificed in order to appease the White House, Rather said the affair had irrevocably damaged his reputation and caused him considerable financial loss,” says Times Online, going on:
Rather, 75, was removed from the CBS Evening News anchor chair he had occupied for 24 years in March 2005, following months of controversy over a story he had narrated in September 2004, in the closing weeks of the presidential election campaign.
The report claimed that during Mr Bush’s time in the Texas Air National Guard – a posting which spared him from service in Vietnam – he shirked duties and disobeyed orders, relying on his political connections to avoid punishment.
Rather’s 32-page lawsuit names ex-CBS parent company Viacom, CBS CEO Leslie Moonves, Viacom CEO Sumner Redstone and ex-CBS News president Andrew Heyward for their, “egregious conduct toward him, which constituted breach of contract, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, prima facie tort, tortious interference with contract and interference with prospective economic advantage,” all of which, he says, “costing significant financial lossand seriously damaged his reputation”.
The claims, “aise from CBS’s intentional mishandling of the the mouth of the story, broadcast by CBS, on September 8, 2004,” narrated by Rather on 60 Minutes II.
The broadcast said in 1968, ” high-level political influence had facilitated Mr. Bush’s acceptance in the TexANG, thus assuring that he would not be required to serve in the war in Vietnam; that after having been trained as a fighter pilot, in 1972, Mr. Bush violated the direct order and failed to appear for required physical examination; and that high-level political influence was again engaged to avoid military discipline and obtain an honourable discharge from the military.”
The document goes on:
Throughout his career, Mr. Rather has promoted, championed, and been emblematic of journalistic independence and journalistic freedom from extraneous interference such as governmental, political, corporate or personal interests.defendants improper responses to the attacks on the documents wrongfully damaged Mr. Rather and these values which he championed.”
The lawsuit is, “the talk of the television news world today,” says the New York Times, quoting Reuters as reporting Rather will, “donate much of the proceeds to the cause of promoting an independent press” if he wins the suit.
“CBS issued a terse, “these complaints are old news and this lawsuit is without merit” and Viacom has no comment, adds the story.
Also See:
Times Online – Star US anchor sues CBS over Bush war memos, September 20, 2007
New York Times – Rather Charges That CBS Wanted to ‘Curry Favor’ With White House, September 19, 2007
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September 20th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
I hope he win though. This will give us a change from fox noise as Oberman saiy.
September 22nd, 2007 at 6:39 am
Rather hired a RIAA lawyer?
Seventy million????
There must be a copyright infringement somewhere. Only copyright holders think they are owed fabulous amounts for nothing. Read on to understand.
Another possiblity. Rather hired a RIAA lawyer.
Only a RIAA lawyer would come up with the argument that someone who copied a song track should pay up to $150,000 in damages when, the worst case scenario was that by copying a track the alleged infringer did not then buy the track for 99 cents and the 99 cents was the actual loss, at most, to the record label.