Jason Merritt/Getty Images for CW(LOS ANGELES) — The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday it declined to pursue a sexual assault allegation against Les Moonves, the CEO and president of CBS, saying the statute of limitations had expired.
Moonves was accused of assaulting the same woman on July 1, 1986, and Jan. 1, 1988, according to the district attorney’s office.
The office’s report, filed Feb. 22, 2018, said the potential charges were oral copulation by force, indecent exposure and battery.
“The victim encountered suspect through employment in the television industry,” the report said. “Victim has reported multiple incidents of assault by suspect.”
The woman disclosed the second of the two incidents to a friend about a year before approaching police, the report said.
The statute of limitations for sexual assault in California, which by law was 10 years at the time of the alleged incidents, had expired by the time the victim approached police.
California has since removed the statute of limitations for all rape and sexual assault cases occurring after Jan. 1, 2017.
This victim is not one of the six women to speak to The New Yorker about allegations of sexual misconduct against Moonves.
Moonves released a statement Friday in response to allegations in The New Yorker, saying, “Throughout my time at CBS, we have promoted a culture of respect and opportunity for all employees, and have consistently found success elevating women to top executive positions across our company. I recognize that there were times decades ago when I may have made some women uncomfortable by making advances. Those were mistakes, and I regret them immensely. But I always understood and respected—and abided by the principle—that ‘no’ means ‘no,’ and I have never misused my position to harm or hinder anyone’s career. This is a time when we all are appropriately focused on how we help improve our society, and we at CBS are committed to being part of the solution.”
After a board of directors meeting on Monday, CBS announced it had selected “outside counsel to conduct an independent investigation.”
No other action was taken, the statement from CBS said.
CBS declined to comment on the new report.
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