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State and county prosecutors in New York have launched investigations into alleged sexual misconduct by CBS former chairman and chief executive officer, Les Moonves, as well as at CBS News, the company disclosed in a regulatory filing.
CBS said it has received subpoenas from the New York County District Attorneys Office and the New York City Commission on Human Rights regarding the allegations made by a dozen women. The New York State Attorney Generals Office has also requested information about these matters, the company said.
In an SEC filing, the media company confirmed it is cooperating with the investigations and noted the August 1 start of investigations by two law firms into conduct by Moonves and executives at CBS News. When contacted by Deadline, a spokesperson declined further comment on the subpoenas.
The former CEO resigned earlier this month, in a stunning end to his 24-year run as one of the prime movers in the media business, after the New Yorker published its second damaging story detailing allegations of physical aggression. A new group of women accused Moonves of forcing them to perform oral sex on him, that he exposed himself to them without their consent, and that he used physical violence and intimidation against them.
Moonves has said he doesnt recognize himself in these accounts, and has denied any non-consensual intimate relationships.
CBS News later fired 60 Minutes executive producer Jeff Fager after he sent a threatening text message to a female reporter who had contacted him for comment on Ronan Farrows New Yorker article.
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