CBS Sued for Harrassment

June 26, 2007

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Is it possible for us to have even less incentive to watch an episode of "Two and a Half Men"? Yes.

A CBS News producer whose skull was fractured while he was vacationing last year sued the network Monday, charging he was discriminated against for being gay and was fired for publicly discussing the attack.

Richard N. Jefferson claims that CBS officials harassed him based on his sexual orientation then fired him because he complained about it.

CBS spokeswoman Sandra Genelius issued a statement calling the suit ''unequivocally baseless.'' Jefferson's contract was not renewed ''due to legitimate issues with his performance that had been previously discussed with him.''

Jefferson was a producer for CBS since January 1989 until he was fired Nov. 20, 2006. He said Monday his problems stemmed from the vicious assault he suffered April 6, 2006, on St. Maarten in the Caribbean.

Jefferson said strangers nearly hit him and a friend with a car as they left a casino. The men in the car then smashed his head with a tire iron and attacked his colleague.

Jefferson called CBS and the network sent an air ambulance to lift him and his severely injured friend, a consideration that he says probably saved his friend's life but back at work, Jefferson said, senior vice president Linda Mason tried to control his public comments about the incident, telling him, ''If you get involved in advocacy issues, we might ask you to take a leave of absence.''

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