Matt Lauer fired by NBC, accused of "inappropriate sexual behavior"

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From the article:

"The woman said Mr. Lauer asked her to unbutton her blouse, which she did. She said the anchor then stepped out from behind his desk, pulled down her pants, bent her over a chair and had intercourse with her. At some point, she said, she passed out with her pants pulled halfway down. She woke up on the floor of his office, and Mr. Lauer had his assistant take her to a nurse.

The woman told The Times that Mr. Lauer never made an advance toward her again and never mentioned what occurred in his office. She said she did not report the episode to NBC at the time because she believed she should have done more to stop Mr. Lauer. She left the network about a year later."

-------

This 40-something yr old woman just did as he asked? Unbuttoned her own blouse. Never said um, "NO"? He may have locked his door, but it wouldn't have locked her inside his office. It never occurred to her to just get up and leave? I mean he's a harassing jerk, but if he asks someone to do something and they, like a programmed robotic Stepford Wife, just do it, that's really something. Was she drugged? There are details missing, and on the face of it, it doesn't sound like she declined the advance.
 
I tend to agree with your sentiment, CARIIS. The "tells" are there — I mean, who gifts a coworker a bag of sex toys with an explicit note? Who assumes that's an OK thing to do in the workplace? Especially that workplace?

Who thinks they're so immune from consequences that he would reprimand a staffer for not sexually servicing him after dropping trou in front of them in the workplace?

I don't believe — not for one second — that nobody said anything to upper management about this behavior before now. People who did were probably driven out. Viciously so. It's the only scenario that makes sense, imho.

CARIIS said:
I think the speed at which they canned him indicates that public is going to learn about sexual behaviors that freak most out (S&M cross dressing orgies dominance gay etc etc)

Obscure sexual behaviors that middle america will freak out over -- we will see
Click to expand...
 
I had something happen to me 20 yrs ago, but I didn't feel 'harassed.'

Was working for a startup Internet division of an old established company. This is the mid 1990s. The corporate attorney/general counsel for the group (married with 2 kids) had his office right there with the other VPs on our floor. This attorney was both brilliant and hilarious. He was into Apple technology and I had some of the tech myself. We both had Apple Newtons at the time (a type of personal digital assistant). We would talk technology, gadgets and similar.

One day he asked me to come to his office to "show him how to send/receive messages on the Newton via the IR/infrared function." You needed someone with another Newton to actually try this out, so I agreed, no problem.

Went down the hall to his office. He closed his office door and then closed the window blinds that looked out to the offices and cubes. I was like ???? I got really paranoid...not about HIM, but how it would look to others, especially the other VPs nearby, with me, not in management, being in the corporate attorney's office, door closed, blinds closed. Like they would think, "what is she talking to the corporate attorney about and with the door closed?" type of paranoia.

He sat fairly close directly opposite me, our knees not quite touching and he wrote out something on his Apple Newton and then transmitted it via infrared to my Newton, which I was holding. The message said, "hey you with that look in your eyes!"

I *completely ignored* the content of what he wrote and just acted pleased he now knew how to use this particular function on the Newton. And, right at that, there was a knock on his office door. It was one of the other VPs and I felt super paranoid that the door and blinds were closed. I took that opportunity to leave his office so she could talk to him.

Nothing ever happened or was ever said, I was never uncomfortable around this man before or even after, and importantly, I did not feel sexually harassed. It was a weird moment, but I just went about my business and that was that. I worked on various things that occasionally needed legal review and I worked on those items with his assistant and once in awhile him, and I never felt weird or unsafe.
 
She might not "decline" if she felt coerced to submit. Coercion doesn't necessarily mean he threatened violence or even verbally threatened her job. But he might have. Allegations by another woman claim she was indeed reprimanded for not complying.

She likely was in shock. It was obviously traumatizing — she fainted. Lauer's assistant even sought medical attention for her. This is shocking.

That it even happened at all — willing or not — Lauer initiated it. That is the core issue. Even Lauer and the people around him admit that his behavior was wrong and that he abused his position of power and influence with impunity.

What "level" of wrong might be debatable for some, but even Lauer admitted his behavior was egregiously out of line.

(But then again, he also had his attorney request the balance of his multimillion-dollar contract after he was fired FOR CAUSE. But that's a whole other "Quick Reply" for another time. LOL)

Legal definition of coercion, per Merriam-Webster: "The use of express or implied threats of violence or reprisal (as discharge from employment) or other intimidating behavior that puts a person in immediate fear of the consequences in order to compel that person to act against his or her will; also : the defense that one acted under coercion — see also defense, duress — compare undue influence"


Madeleine74 said:
From the article:

"The woman said Mr. Lauer asked her to unbutton her blouse, which she did. She said the anchor then stepped out from behind his desk, pulled down her pants, bent her over a chair and had intercourse with her. At some point, she said, she passed out with her pants pulled halfway down. She woke up on the floor of his office, and Mr. Lauer had his assistant take her to a nurse.

The woman told The Times that Mr. Lauer never made an advance toward her again and never mentioned what occurred in his office. She said she did not report the episode to NBC at the time because she believed she should have done more to stop Mr. Lauer. She left the network about a year later."

-------

This 40-something yr old woman just did as he asked? Unbuttoned her own blouse. Never said um, "NO"? He may have locked his door, but it wouldn't have locked her inside his office. It never occurred to her to just get up and leave? I mean he's a harassing jerk, but if he asks someone to do something and they, like a programmed robotic Stepford Wife, just do it, that's really something. Was she drugged? There are details missing, and on the face of it, it doesn't sound like she declined the advance.
Click to expand...
 
Matt Lauer is a sexual predator — he preyed on women he supervised.

“He couldn’t sleep around town with celebrities or on the road with random people, because he’s Matt Lauer and he’s married," a former producer told the magazine. "So he’d have to do it with his stable, where he exerted power, and he knew people wouldn’t ever complain.”

The staffers who spoke to Variety accused him of exposing himself to one woman, and then reprimanding her for not engaging in a sex act. He was also accused of giving another colleague a sex toy as a present along with “an explicit note about how he wanted to use it on her.”

The article said the women complained to management, but the complaints fell on deaf ears given the lucrative advertising surrounding "Today."

A spokesperson for NBC forcefully denied that anyone who is now in management was made aware of these complaints.

https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/s...or-matt-lauer-after-sexual-misconduct-n824831
 
She might not "decline" if she felt coerced to submit. Coercion doesn't necessarily mean he threatened violence or even verbally threatened her job. But he might have. Allegations by another woman claim she was indeed reprimanded for not complying.
Click to expand...

I don't disagree, which is why I said there's missing information in this particular incident. She was obviously traumatized as well she had to have been.
 
Madeleine74 said:
From the article:

"The woman said Mr. Lauer asked her to unbutton her blouse, which she did. She said the anchor then stepped out from behind his desk, pulled down her pants, bent her over a chair and had intercourse with her. At some point, she said, she passed out with her pants pulled halfway down. She woke up on the floor of his office, and Mr. Lauer had his assistant take her to a nurse.

The woman told The Times that Mr. Lauer never made an advance toward her again and never mentioned what occurred in his office. She said she did not report the episode to NBC at the time because she believed she should have done more to stop Mr. Lauer. She left the network about a year later."

-------

This 40-something yr old woman just did as he asked? Unbuttoned her own blouse. Never said um, "NO"? He may have locked his door, but it wouldn't have locked her inside his office. It never occurred to her to just get up and leave? I mean he's a harassing jerk, but if he asks someone to do something and they, like a programmed robotic Stepford Wife, just do it, that's really something. Was she drugged? There are details missing, and on the face of it, it doesn't sound like she declined the advance.
Click to expand...

She passed out and woke up on the floor of his office. Yeah, I would say some details are missing.
 
Madeleine74 said:
I had something happen to me 20 yrs ago, but I didn't feel 'harassed.'

Was working for a startup Internet division of an old established company. This is the mid 1990s. The corporate attorney/general counsel for the group (married with 2 kids) had his office right there with the other VPs on our floor. This attorney was both brilliant and hilarious. He was into Apple technology and I had some of the tech myself. We both had Apple Newtons at the time (a type of personal digital assistant). We would talk technology, gadgets and similar.

One day he asked me to come to his office to "show him how to send/receive messages on the Newton via the IR/infrared function." You needed someone with another Newton to actually try this out, so I agreed, no problem.

Went down the hall to his office. He closed his office door and then closed the window blinds that looked out to the offices and cubes. I was like ???? I got really paranoid...not about HIM, but how it would look to others, especially the other VPs nearby, with me, not in management, being in the corporate attorney's office, door closed, blinds closed. Like they would think, "what is she talking to the corporate attorney about and with the door closed?" type of paranoia.

He sat fairly close directly opposite me, our knees not quite touching and he wrote out something on his Apple Newton and then transmitted it via infrared to my Newton, which I was holding. The message said, "hey you with that look in your eyes!"

I *completely ignored* the content of what he wrote and just acted pleased he now knew how to use this particular function on the Newton. And, right at that, there was a knock on his office door. It was one of the other VPs and I felt super paranoid that the door and blinds were closed. I took that opportunity to leave his office so she could talk to him.

Nothing ever happened or was ever said, I was never uncomfortable around this man before or even after, and importantly, I did not feel sexually harassed. It was a weird moment, but I just went about my business and that was that. I worked on various things that occasionally needed legal review and I worked on those items with his assistant and once in awhile him, and I never felt weird or unsafe.
Click to expand...

You were right to be paranoid about what others would think of you in the office alone with him with the window blinds drawn. The assumption they would make would not have been flattering to you, and you could've gotten a reputation that you didn't deserve. Glad you avoided that.
 
No one makes me do **anything** that I don’t want to do. That’s just how my momma’ taught me.

Nope. Not for fear of intimidation, retribution, quid pro quo, money, etc

Nope.

And you know what? You can walk proud in your shoes knowing you’ve earned your way & you have self-respect.

And you have peace of mind.

If Someone is slightly creeping you out—let them know right there. Someone is saying something you don’t like—stop them in their tracks. Be honest & be real. Be true & be strong. Value yourself & know your self worth.
 
Madeleine74 said:
This was 3 years ago, not 40 years ago. Sexual harassment prevention and training is mandatory in corporations, NBC included. Even for interns. There are clear guidelines for how to report such a thing, who to report it to, even anonymously if necessary. There is *nothing* a senior exec can force an employee to do that is illegal AND get away with it. It just requires telling someone -- someone in HR, another manager, someone. Staying silent never gets the proper resolution to a harassment issue. And this particular intern had pictures of Lauer exposing himself that HE sent to her. NBC and other large corporations have policies that protect any employee or contractor of the company from retribution from reporting something illegal or against company policies. Harassment is against every public company's policies. It's a huge potential litigation issue and believe me when I say it is taken seriously if reported AND there's clear proof.
Click to expand...

You must report something if you see it, hear it, or witness it. If any of it makes you feel offended or uncomfortable—you need to report it.
 
ATasteOfHoney said:
No one makes me do **anything** that I don’t want to do. That’s just how my momma’ taught me.

Nope. Not for fear of intimidation, retribution, quid pro quo, money, etc

Nope.

And you know what? You can walk proud in your shoes knowing you’ve earned your way & you have self-respect.

And you have peace of mind.

If Someone is slightly creeping you out—let them know right there. Someone is saying something you don’t like—stop them in their tracks. Be honest & be real. Be true & be strong. Value yourself & know your self worth.
Click to expand...

What if they hold your paycheck over you - and you have no other way to make a living. Perhaps never got a good education but are working in a factory or other type job, maybe in a town with no other opportunities. Maybe you have kids to feed on your paycheck. Maybe you'd feel shame to tell your parents your lost your job. Maybe your boss threatens that not only you'll be fired, but he will give bad references and spread the word that other employers shouldn't hire you.

Maybe some of the women were strong and still complied because that is how they survive.

The cases we've heard so far are from women who are probably well educated and live in urban areas - they could bounce back and find other employment (but why should they have to? Can't women get an education and pursue a career without having to deal with sex crap they don't want?)....but, anyway, many women in much more vulnerable positions face sexual harassment and assault on the job and to suggest they are not strong or proud or raised well is, frankly, a thoughtless insult.

jmo
 
Inthedetails said:
What if they hold your paycheck over you - and you have no other way to make a living. Perhaps never got a good education but are working in a factory or other type job, maybe in a town with no other opportunities. Maybe you have kids to feed on your paycheck. Maybe you'd feel shame to tell your parents your lost your job. Maybe your boss threatens that not only you'll be fired, but he will give bad references and spread the word that other employers shouldn't hire you.

Maybe some of the women were strong and still complied because that is how they survive.

The cases we've heard so far are from women who are probably well educated and live in urban areas - they could bounce back and find other employment (but why should they have to? Can't women get an education and pursue a career without having to deal with sex crap they don't want?)....but, anyway, many women in much more vulnerable positions face sexual harassment and assault on the job and to suggest they are not strong or proud or raised well is, frankly, a thoughtless insult.

jmo
Click to expand...

Sorry you feel that way. I shared my words to help empower women via learned through the school of “hard knocks”. ‘Just trying to help & fight the good fight for all of us sisters out there
 
From yesterday's WaPo:

In wake of Weinstein, men wonder if hugging women still OK

I like what one commenter said, there should be no touching outside of a handshake (the female employee can always wash her hands afterwards), and if her work is exception, reward it with a paycheck raise not a hug (yucko) from a male boss who is most likely already married and has kids.
 
Of course they all knew that Lauer was cheating on his wife and often, that he was sleeping around, that he was in no way faithful. That's never been in dispute. Everyone knew, it was common knowledge.

The part that was unknown was that he forced himself on some women who were not interested, that he sexually harassed and sexually bullied some subordinates, and he engaged in non-consensual sexual activities, including sexual battery.

They were obviously willing to look the other way when it came to his cheating on his wife, even with women at work, but once the rags started investigating Lauer's activities and then the former intern filed a formal complaint with HR, complete with pictures as proof, and with a high powered attorney in tow, the network brass could not ignore that. It was going to be big news and it was going to get out and quickly, so they cut their losses, fast.
 
Madeleine74 said:
This was 3 years ago, not 40 years ago. Sexual harassment prevention and training is mandatory in corporations, NBC included. Even for interns. There are clear guidelines for how to report such a thing, who to report it to, even anonymously if necessary. There is *nothing* a senior exec can force an employee to do that is illegal AND get away with it. It just requires telling someone -- someone in HR, another manager, someone. Staying silent never gets the proper resolution to a harassment issue. And this particular intern had pictures of Lauer exposing himself that HE sent to her. NBC and other large corporations have policies that protect any employee or contractor of the company from retribution from reporting something illegal or against company policies. Harassment is against every public company's policies. It's a huge potential litigation issue and believe me when I say it is taken seriously if reported AND there's clear proof.
Click to expand...

You are correct, harassment is against every public company's policies. But I know people who have been harassed at public companies and got nowhere with HR even with pretty solid proof.
 
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