NEW YORK — CBS filed a motion Thursday to dismiss the $70 million lawsuit filed against it by Dan Rather, calling the former “CBS Evening News” anchor’s claims bizarre and untrue.
The 30-page motion seeks to dismiss Rather’s lawsuit against CBS, former parent Viacom, CBS president and CEO Leslie Moonves, Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone and onetime CBS News president Andrew Heyward. Rather alleged that he was scapegoated and put out to pasture following the “Memogate” scandal before the 2004 election.
“There was no such nefarious scheme, and Rather’s allegations bear no resemblance to reality,” CBS said in the filing. “CBS and its executives are not now, and never have been, out to get Dan Rather.”
A CBS statement released later Thursday said Rather was one of the most important broadcast journalists ever and formerly “one of our most valued colleagues. That is why we at CBS are mystified and saddened by the baseless and self-serving allegations and distortions of fact raised in his lawsuit.”
