Cassandra Vinograd, '60 Minutes' associate producer, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday (December 17, 2019) over her boss and longtime producer Michael Gavshon's alleged misconduct. She also accused the media house of ostracizing her due to her complaint. CBS has said it "plans to vigorously defend against the lawsuit".
Accusations against Michael Gavshon
In the lawsuit filed at the New York State Supreme Court against CBS Broadcasting, Vinograd alleged that she had complained to executives about Gavshon's alleged misconduct in September. She had alleged that he was often drunk at work, making it hard for her to work.
She also shared with executives a photograph Gavshon allegedly sent her late one night of him urinating on a campfire. She said the photograph made her feel "disgusted, uncomfortable and scared".
According to the lawsuit, ever since the 35-year old journalist spoke out, Vinograd has been "stripped of all her work responsibilities". "CBS has failed to give Cassie a single assignment. Further, she is consistently excluded from work meetings, calls and emails," the lawsuit claims.
"In December 2019 CBS remains committed to insulating and protecting powerful men — the 'talent' — at the expense of its female employees," the lawsuit says.
Gavshon responds
An hour after sending the photograph, Gavshon said he texted "sorry" and told Vinograd that he meant to send the picture to his sister. He reiterated this in a statement on Tuesday. He said he wanted to share with his sister an old photo of him with a friend who had just died, showing the two of them in an act of adolescent rebellion at the end of school exams.
After realizing that he had sent the picture to Vinograd, he was "mortified" and "apologized profusely" to her at the time. He also refuted the claim of him being drunk at work.
Gavshon has been associated with CBS for about 30 years.
CBS responds
In a statement, CBS said, "CBS thoroughly and immediately investigated the matter in accordance with its policies. Subsequently, Ms. Vinograd asked to no longer work with Mr. Gavshon and CBS has made every reasonable effort to honor this request. CBS News vehemently denies there was any retaliation," Reuters reported.
