A new legal settlement involving CBS and former president/CEO Les Moonves claims that a former Los Angeles Police Department captain tried to help him cover up a sexual assault allegation.
NBC4's I-Team obtained court documents that show the captain shared confidential information about the accuser and progress of the investigation with CBS.
The LAPD announced Wednesday afternoon that it launched an internal investigation into the retired command officer and the allegations outlined in the agreement with the New Yorker attorney general. CBS and its former president, now 73, will pay $30.5 million as part of the settlement, which says the network's executives conspired with the LAPD captain to conceal sexual assault allegations against Moonves.
Prosecutors in the insider trading investigation alleged that the network and Moonves benefitted by hiding negative information from investors and the public.
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"As a publicly traded company, CBS failed its most basic duty to be honest and transparent with the public and investors," New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. "After trying to bury the truth to protect their fortunes, today CBS and Leslie Moonves are paying millions of dollars for their wrongdoing. Today's action should send a strong message to companies across New York that profiting off injustice will not be tolerated and those who violate the law will be held accountable."
The former LAPD captain allegedly provided Moonves with what should have been a confidential sexual assault crime report. The report listed the name and address of an accuser, who made the report in November 2017.
Later that night, the former captain informed Mooves of the report, according to prosecutors. More information was provided over the ensuing months, the settlement said.
The settlement claims the captain knew Mooves personally and served as his security guard at the Grammy awards show between 2008 and 2014.
The LAPD issued a statement Wednesday saying it is fully cooperating with the New York investigation and also initiated an internal investigation.
"What is most appalling is the alleged breach of trust of a victim of sexual assault, who is among the most vulnerable, by a member of the LAPD," Chief Michel Moore said in a statement. "This erodes the public trust and is not reflective of our values as an organization."
The LAPD later Wednesday identified the officer as Cmdr. Cory Palka, who was captain of the Hollywood station in 2017 and 2018 and has since retired. NBC4's I-Team spoke with Palka Wednesday, who said he wanted to read the settlement documents and would eventually respond with a statement.
The allegations against Moonves eventually became public in 2018 and he was outsted in late 2018. Moonves denied the assault claims and said many of the encounters were consensual.
