Following at least a dozen sexual harassment claims by media executives and former colleagues, Vanity Fair learned Les Moonves was also the subject of an article published by a Los Angeles-based Keck School of Medicine at USC professor who claimed the former CBS CEO and board chairman assaulted her during an appointment in 1999.
Here are seven things to know:
1. In an op-ed published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in May, Anne Peters, MD, detailed an account of sexual harassment she suffered at the hands of an anonymous "VIP patient" while working at Los Angeles-based UCLA Medical Center in the 1990s. She said she was asked to see the anonymous patient early in the morning before regular business hours.
2. After their initial interview, she said she and the patient moved to the examination table where he grabbed her, "pulled himself against" her and "tried to force himself on" her. Dr. Peters said the man "did this twice" and that she rebuffed his advances both times. He allegedly proceeded to stand "beside the examination table and [satisfy] himself. After he finished, he reassembled himself and left," she wrote, adding that he called and apologized the next day.
3. Dr. Peters wrote she reported the incident to UCLA Medical Center's administration, but recalled the individual she spoke with cautioned her against reporting the incident to police, as the unidentified client had "more money for lawyers" than UCLA and that if she tried to press charges, Dr. Peters "would lose in court." A spokesperson for UCLA Health told Vanity Fair in a statement: "Sexual harassment and misconduct are not tolerated at UCLA Health. Members of our community are encouraged to come forward with concerns about the workplace environment, and allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct are promptly reviewed and addressed consistent with UCLA policies and procedures."
4. A source familiar with the situation told Vanity Fair's William Cohan in August that Dr. Peters had been referring to Mr. Moonves, citing an entry in his datebook calendar that detailed a one-time 7 a.m. appointment with Dr. Peters on Sept. 17, 1999.
5. Mr. Moonves told Vanity Fair via a representative that the "appalling allegations" regarding Dr. Peters "are untrue."
"What is true, and what I deeply regret, is that I tried to kiss the doctor. Nothing more happened," the statement reads.
6. The New Yorker's Ronan Farrow published a report in June alleging Mr. Moonves sexually harassed at least six women from 1980s through the early 2000s. On Sept. 8, Mr. Farrow published a second report detailing six additional sexual harassment allegations against Mr. Moonves, which included claims of sexual misconduct, self-exposure and forced oral sex. Mr. Moonves denied the allegations, stating: "The appalling accusations in this article are untrue. What is true is that I had consensual relations with three of the women some 25 years ago before I came to CBS. And I have never used my position to hinder the advancement or careers of women. ... I can only surmise they are surfacing now for the first time, decades later, as part of a concerted effort by others to destroy my name, my reputation, and my career."
7. Hours after the second report was published in The New Yorker, CNN reported Mr. Moonves agreed to step down from his position at CBS and that he would not receive any of his exit compensation, pending the results of an independent investigation into the allegations. CBS also said it would donate $20 million from any severance payments Mr. Moonves may receive to organizations that support the #MeToo movement and workplace equality for women.