NY Judge Dismisses Dan Rather's Suits Vs CBS, CEO Moonves
08 Oktober 2009 - 12:54AM
Dow Jones News
A state judge has dismissed separate lawsuits by former CBS
Evening News anchor Dan Rather against his former employers after a
state appeals court threw out his case against CBS Corp. (CBS) last
month.
In orders filed Tuesday, New York State Judicial Hearing Officer
Ira Gammerman dismissed a revised fraud claim by Rather against CBS
and a separate lawsuit by Rather against Leslie Moonves, CBS
Corp.'s (CBS) chief executive, and Andrew Heyward, CBS News's
former president over his departure from the network.
In an unanimous decision last month, the New York State Supreme
Court's Appellate Division for the First Department ruled that
Rather's claim "must be dismissed in its entirety."
Following the decision, Martin R. Gold, Rather's lawyer, said
they plan to ask the New York Court of Appeals, the state's highest
court, to review the decision.
Gold didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment
Wednesday.
Rather has alleged in part that CBS violated his contract by
failing to provide him enough air time on "60 Minutes" or "60
Minutes II" after removing him as anchor of CBS Evening News in
March 2005 following a controversy over a 2004 report about
President George W. Bush's service in the Texas Air National
Guard.
Rather, who first joined CBS News in 1962, also claims CBS
conducted a biased investigation - instead of the independent probe
it promised into the underlying story and its production. Rather
left the network in June 2006.
CBS declined comment on Wednesday.
-By Chad Bray, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-227-2017;
chad.bray@dowjones.com