Fired 60 Minutes producer files lawsuit against CBS for gender discrimination

Alexandra Poolos, a former producer at CBS, has sued the network alleging it has a ‘clear bias against women’

A producer for CBS’s 60 Minutes has sued the network for gender discrimination after she was fired from the company.

Alexandra Poolos filed a lawsuit in New York federal court, for allegedly violating her civil rights by firing her on the basis of her gender and bullying accusations that she denies, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Ms Poolos began working at the network in 2011 and states in court papers that during her work on the prestigious news show she produced and developed many significant stories for it.

The lawsuit states that she was fired by CBS in February 2022 after an associate producer came forward and claimed she was a “bully” who had “no boundaries.”

She claims that she was discriminated against because of how her case was handled in comparison to complaints made against male employees at CBS.

The lawsuit states that the company itself had a “clear bias against women” and “permitted sexual harassment and gender discrimination to fester unabated.”

The associate producer allegedly complained that Ms Poolos was not treating her correctly after she “asked her to do her job.”

Ms Poolos states in the lawsuit that managers at 60 Minutes agreed that the associate producer “had performance problems and that her complaints against Poolos were baseless.” She argues that she never retaliated against the associate producer.

The lawsuit reportedly states that CBS asserted she “violated policies” and was fired in February 2022.

Ms Poolos claimed that she was never told what exact policy or policies she had supposedly violated and called the investigation into her eventual termination “bogus.”

Before she left CBS, she claims she was given counselling for her “tone,” but states she was fired within days of receiving it.

She states that the treatment of men at the company is different, as she was never given a chance to fix her supposed misconduct.

“Poolos is not aware of CBS firing male 60 Minutes employees based on a single complaint from a subordinate about behaviour that was not alleged to constitute unlawful discrimination or retaliation,” the lawsuit states, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “In contrast with its harsh treatment of Poolos, CBS has declined to take any meaningful disciplinary action in response to serious allegations of misconduct against male employees.”

The lawsuit names and alleges various employees that have has complaints set against them (Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

She notes in the suit that many male staff members, with varying degrees of complaints, allegedly had different treatment to her, citing former CBS News co-president Neeraj Khemlani as an example.

“Despite the many complaints about his abusive behaviour from CBS employees, particularly women and people of colour, Khemlani has faced no meaningful consequences for his abusive behaviour and remains associated with CBS,” the complaint states.

She also alleges in the lawsuit that her former supervisor, producer Shachar Bar-On, had “repeatedly subjected Poolos to emotional abuse and sexual harassment over the course of several years.”

Ms Poolos claims gender discrimination, retaliation and breach of contract and seeks the severance owed to her, as well as punitive damages.

This is not the first time CBS has been linked to similar allegations.

In November 2022, the New York Attorney General announced her office had won a $30.5m settlement from CBS and former CEO Leslie Moonves for allegedly misleading his investors by concealing sexual assault allegations against him. Mr Moonves resigned from the company in 2018.

The Independent contacted CBS for further comment on the lawsuit, to which a spokesperson for the network said, “We are not commenting on pending litigation.”

The Independent has also contacted Ms Poolos for further comment.