LA prosecutors decline Moonves sex charges

LOS ANGELES -- Prosecutors in Southern California declined to pursue sexual abuse claims against CBS Corp. CEO Les Moonves because the statute of limitations has expired, according to documents.

The unidentified woman, who worked in the television industry, went to Los Angeles police in February to report three alleged incidents, two in 1988 and one from 1986.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office was considering three possible criminal charges including two misdemeanors, battery and indecent exposure, and a felony, forced oral copulation, according to a charge evaluation worksheet.

The document stated the woman disclosed at least one of the alleged incidents to a friend a year before filing the police report.

"The applicable statutes of limitation have expired as to all three incidents," the worksheet said.

CBS declined to comment Tuesday.

In an article last week in The New Yorker, six women -- four of whom spoke on the record -- alleged sexual harassment or misconduct by Moonves between the 1980s and late 2000s.

Four of the women described forcible touching or kissing during business meetings, while two said Moonves physically intimidated them or threatened to derail their careers.

Moonves acknowledged making advances perhaps making women uncomfortable but said he never misused his position to harm or hinder anyone's career.

The incident reviewed by prosecutors was not mentioned in The New Yorker piece written by Ronan Farrow, who tweeted Tuesday the incidents reviewed by prosecutors were not included in his piece.

CBS said Monday it was hiring outside counsel to investigate claims made in the article by Farrow, who wrote a Pulitzer Prize-winning story last year for the same magazine uncovering many of the allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein

Moonves has been a towering figure in television for decades, credited with turning around a network mired for years at the bottom ratings.

The CBS chief is the latest media giant to become embroiled in sexual misconduct allegations since the downfall of Weinstein in October triggered the #MeToo social media movement.