CBS Chiefs to Face Questions in Dan Rather Suit

[babylonsister]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/18/arts/television/18rath.html?_r=2&ref=television&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

CBS Chiefs to Face Questions in Rather Suit

By JACQUES STEINBERG
Published: July 18, 2008



The chief executive of CBS and the former president of CBS News have agreed to answer questions from lawyers for Dan Rather, who has accused the network of violating his contract by giving him little to do after forcing him off the “CBS Evening News” in 2005.

Lawyers in the case told a New York State Supreme Court judge, Ira Gammerman, late Wednesday, that Andrew Heyward, the former president of CBS News, would give a deposition in late July, and Leslie Moonves, the chief of CBS, would do so in September. Mr. Rather is also seeking to depose Sumner M. Redstone, the executive chairman of CBS.

Mr. Rather is seeking to prove that CBS mishandled his removal from the anchor chair he had held for nearly a quarter century in the fallout over a 2004 report for the weeknight edition of “60 Minutes.” The report, for which Mr. Rather had served as a correspondent, sought to raise new questions about whether President Bush had received preferential treatment during his Vietnam-era service in the National Guard. After bloggers in particular raised questions about the veracity of the documents that had been used to support the report, CBS said it could not verify their authenticity.

In April, Justice Gammerman said that he would permit Mr. Rather to argue throughout the discovery process that CBS had violated his contract by, in effect, marginalizing him for more than a year after he left the evening news.

snip//

Edward Reich, a lawyer for Mr. Rather, said in a statement sent via e-mail message, “Yesterday went very well for Mr. Rather. The court is allowing discovery to go forward without limitation.”

[KaryninMiami]

1. Great news- Rather has earned a big win here-

CBS really blue it in this situation- what they did to him and his producers was disgraceful.

[Canuckistanian]

2. Excellent. It would be sweet to see Rather victorious in this suit

And a smackdown to those who perpetuated the lies fabricated against him.

[Hekate]

3. kick

:kick:

[Pastiche423]

4. Dan Rather deserves to win his suit

and will if the truth is allowed to see the light of day.

[jtrockville]

5. Discovery re: 'a “biased” and incomplete investigation '

During the discovery phase, will the documents become public? Any guesses to what's likely to be uncovered?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

6. Why do they have to dress up like Dan Rather to face questions?

:silly:

[bleever]

7. The discovery phase could be very interesting.

Go, Dan!

[countryjake]

8. Hope he wins this case & that questions come up on Mary Mapes...

and how CBS totally screwed her over, too. She deserves to have her record cleared just as much as Mr. Rather does!


(edited to reword)

[bluesmail]

9. Although I dislike the expression, I do think the tide is turning.

America has woken and is seeing that the right really isn't right.