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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNYT - Lauer summoned another woman, bent her over... She passed out and had to be taken to a nurse
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/29/business/media/nbc-matt-lauer.htmlNBC Receives at Least 2 New Complaints About Matt Lauer
By Ellen Gabler, Jim Rutenberg, Michael M. Grynbaum and Rachel Abrams
Nov. 29, 2017
On Wednesday, NBC received at least two more complaints related to Mr. Lauer, according to a person briefed on the networks handling of the matter. One complaint came from a former employee who said Mr. Lauer had summoned her to his office in 2001, locked the door and had sex with her. She provided her account to The New York Times but declined to let her name be used.
In 2001, the woman said, Mr. Lauer, who is married, asked her to his office to discuss a story during a workday. When she sat down, she said, he locked the door, which he could do by pressing a button while sitting at his desk. (People who worked at NBC said the button was a regular security measure installed for high-profile employees.)
The woman said Mr. Lauer asked her to unbutton her blouse, which she did. She said the anchor then stepped out from behind his desk, pulled down her pants, bent her over a chair and had intercourse with her. At some point, she said, she passed out with her pants pulled halfway down. She woke up on the floor of his office, and Mr. Lauer had his assistant take her to a nurse.
The woman told The Times that Mr. Lauer never made an advance toward her again and never mentioned what occurred in his office. She said she did not report the episode to NBC at the time because she believed she should have done more to stop Mr. Lauer. She left the network about a year later.
(more details at link)
Glimmer of Hope
(5,823 posts)Blue_true
(31,261 posts)superpatriotman
(6,252 posts)there was no consent?
mcar
(42,372 posts)Glimmer of Hope
(5,823 posts)"Mr. Lauer had summoned her to his office in 2001, locked the door and sexually assaulted her.."
dalton99a
(81,570 posts)The text I copied and posted above which read "locked the door and had sex with her" has been changed to "locked the door and sexually assaulted her"
Glimmer of Hope
(5,823 posts)Thanks for the explanation.
Response to Glimmer of Hope (Reply #8)
Post removed
CatWoman
(79,302 posts)bettyellen
(47,209 posts)forgotmylogin
(7,530 posts)like he's a rapey James Bond villain???
mythology
(9,527 posts)He used it for that, but it seems like it was standard.
CanonRay
(14,113 posts)Pachamama
(16,887 posts)OMG.....hearing the story of what he did to this woman is horrific....this is rape....aggravated and even possibly violent....
I feel sick....
Ilsa
(61,698 posts)covered for Lauer and helped set up circumstances for him to assault women.
dalton99a
(81,570 posts)bullwinkle428
(20,630 posts)Hekate
(90,793 posts)BootinUp
(47,187 posts)superpatriotman
(6,252 posts)Lots of conclusions being jumped to.
Cicada
(4,533 posts)New York eliminated the statute of limitations for rape in 2006. Rapes before that had a limited number of years for prosecution.
SharonClark
(10,014 posts)She should have screamed, someone would have heard her. Actually, she should have demanded he unlock the door when he asked her to unbutton her blouse. Instead, she unbuttoned her blouse. Acting helpless and being stupid plays right into the anti-woman narrative.
SamKnause
(13,110 posts)I don't get it either.
That is certainly not how I would have reacted.
Demsrule86
(68,667 posts)It happens...and if you are single woman with kids to feed or you really need the money...some feel they have no choice...it is horrible and he needs to be fired...but what I have read isn't rape...almost though. He didn't act in a vacuum. The culture was created at NBC and they are to blame for allowing it. My husband worked for years in a male dominated industry and this sort of thing was simply not tolerated. There were rules in place and any who broke them were fired...from the lowest to the highest.
LisaL
(44,974 posts)exactly as she described. It doesn't sound like she ever actually told him "no."
yardwork
(61,703 posts)johnp3907
(3,732 posts)SamKnause
(13,110 posts)Mr. Lauer asked her to unbutton her blouse, which she did.
Why ?????????????????????????
Was she drugged ???
Did he threaten her ???
Did he have a weapon ???
Did she want to fuck him ???
I would have told him to fuck off.
I would not fuck someone to keep my job.
No job is that important.
Then he pulled her pants halfway down.
Did she scream ???
Did she scratch the shit out of him ???
Did she kick the shit out of him ???
Did she bang on the locked door ???
I don't understand this woman or her story.
Flame away.
yardwork
(61,703 posts)SamKnause
(13,110 posts)Maybe you should educate yourself on the subject.
yardwork
(61,703 posts)SamKnause
(13,110 posts)Are you investigating the allegations ???
yardwork
(61,703 posts)SamKnause
(13,110 posts)Did he have a weapon ???
Did he physically force her to unbutton her blouse.
Were they on a deserted island.
She did it because he asked her !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Why would you do that ????????????
I am sorry, I just do not understand.
yardwork
(61,703 posts)The standard of proof doesn't require being in a deserted island or having a weapon.
SamKnause
(13,110 posts)Are you seriously saying you would prostitute yourself to keep a job ???
yardwork
(61,703 posts)Stop bullying me.
SamKnause
(13,110 posts)Bullying you ???
You are the one who is doing the bullying.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Mind-boggling.
SamKnause
(13,110 posts)Have you ever unbuttoned your blouse when your boss requested it ???
I haven't.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)There is no explanation that allows for this not to be a fireable offense.
SamKnause
(13,110 posts)I would think that would be a given.
Yes, he should be fired.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)I'm not understanding the impetus behind your questions.
SamKnause
(13,110 posts)your boss asked you to, or told you to.
Unless he had a weapon or physically forced her to unbutton her blouse I just do not understand.
They were in an office building with lots of people.
They weren't alone in an isolated area.
Couldn't she have said fuck you and walked to the door ???
It was locked.
Couldn't she have banged on the door ???
I am sorry I don't understand why she unbuttoned her blouse.
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)"I don't understand why you would unbutton your blouse because your boss asked you..."
Coercion and intimidation are not difficult things to understand. I'm not sure if you're unable, or simply unwilling to understand as much.
SamKnause
(13,110 posts)You seem to think all women are weak and mousy.
I would not unbutton my blouse because my boss told me to.
It is not that hard to understand.
If I had to fuck to get a paycheck, I think leaving that job would be a plus.
Tracer
(2,769 posts)Seemingly, without hesitation, this woman voluntarily took off her blouse.
What on earth was she thinking?
Everyone else on this thread has their crystal ball out, knowing precisely how fearful of retribution she'd be if she resisted Lauer.
SamKnause
(13,110 posts)Evergreen Emerald
(13,069 posts)His power over her livelihood; his power over her career, over her ability to feed her family. He wielded that power as if it were a sword.
It astounds me that people are still dissecting the actions of the victim. "Why didn't she scream?" "Why didn't she insist that the let her out of the locked room?" Perhaps she feared his power.
Instead of focusing on why she let him get away with it, let's dissect the actions of the perpetrator.
LiberalFighter
(51,084 posts)Another human response in a situation like this because it is behavior you don't expect from them is being stun.
Then there is the aftershock with thoughts going through their mind of what they could do. In most cases they would think that if they say or do anything something could happen to them or they won't be believed. The shame they would have if they reported what happened. Either because people didn't believe it or they think that she let him do it.
gollygee
(22,336 posts)Perfect example of why rape victims stay silent.
HopeAgain
(4,407 posts)But at best, this guy is a creepy asshole. Isn't he married? It's enough I don't want to watch this jerk on my TV.
Demsrule86
(68,667 posts)I never liked him and am glad he is gone.
SamKnause
(13,110 posts)janterry
(4,429 posts)and then 'passed out?'
He certainly used his power and manipulated her/the situation.
But I don't get this story. I'd have to hear more.
kwassa
(23,340 posts)Could he ruin her name in the news business, so that she would never again find a job?
yardwork
(61,703 posts)dalton99a
(81,570 posts)underthematrix
(5,811 posts)Doodley
(9,124 posts)janterry
(4,429 posts)I think the time for not naming the woman (in most cases, woman) has - nearly? - passed.
It was important 20, 30 and especially 40 years ago. But we are in a new era. I think that women should agree to come forward. I'm nearly at the point (though not quite where you are) where I think women have to come forward.
IDK. Perhaps the time really is now.............
Justice
(7,188 posts)Last edited Thu Nov 30, 2017, 08:44 AM - Edit history (1)
LisaL
(44,974 posts)Justice
(7,188 posts)wishstar
(5,271 posts)They don't usually victimize older more assertive people who have connections and ability to speak out without losing their jobs. Instead they target younger victims with less experience and less job security who are intimidated by powerful men and afraid to speak out and fight back
My first supervisor fits the profile- older white male who only seriously hit on new employees who didn't know other employees and were in their probationary periods where a bad evaluation could cause them to lose their jobs. My supervisor successfully deflected some serious accusations because of his Matt Lauerish habit of flirting and milder sexual joking around with those he did not ever seriously assault, so those colleagues would come to his defense thinking he was just a harmless flirt.
extvbroadcaster
(343 posts)Matt was making about 20 million a year. Just figure a million and a half a month. No holidays and he has to have time off. So maybe it comes out to 80 grand or so a work day. He gets up, goes to NBC, everybody kisses his ass, he does some lame TV show, goes back to his office, bends some young woman over for a quickie, then back home. 80 grand or more for that day. A coal miner that Trump loves so much would be lucky to make that in a year in dangerous work. Matt gets to bang some woman at work, and earn the miners salary in a day. Something is very wrong with how we compensate work in this country.
LiberalFighter
(51,084 posts)Anyone that got paid as much as he did in the business was paid too much in my opinion.
kentuck
(111,110 posts)Something is seriously wrong when a woman is lying unconscious on your office floor.
It doesn't matter if it "seemed" consensual. Or if it was "consensual".
It is easy to blame the young woman. It is easy for the young woman to blame herself. The person to blame is the one committing the assault.