Dealing with the Letterman Affair: Everyone's Interests Must Be Preserved

The shocking news about late night television host David Letterman is riveting the nation. Americans are fiercely debating the proper and just way to resolve these difficult issues.

The facts in the case seem pretty clear. David Letterman admits having sexual affairs with women who work for him. Letterman claims he is the victim of an extortion plot let by Robert J. "Joe" Halderman who is the producer for "48 Hours Mystery" on CBS. There seems to be some truth to this claim. Halderman was arrested last week on charges that he tried to extort $2 million from Letterman as payment for keeping some of Letterman's sexual exploits secret.

Many important issues emerge from this case, such as did Letterman develop a toxic work environment where the women had to get involved with him in order to be promoted or just stay employed? If Letterman did something wrong, should he be punished and what should the punishment be?

There are three values that should be preserved in resolving these issues. First, Letterman may not have done anything wrong, but he sure acted foolishly and perhaps unethically. Letterman's employer, CBS, should rebuke and reprimand him. CBS must ensure that these activities cease immediately, and must get Letterman to agree to never let this happen again. At the same time, Letterman should not be fired. Late night icons like Letterman who can entertain a nation, and attract millions of fans who look forward to his show everyday are an extremely rare breed. Letterman should not be fired as this would be punishing his fans who did not do anything wrong.

Second, the extortion case should proceed through the courts. Let the judicial system achieve justice, by determining what happened, and if anyone violated any laws. Let the issues in the case go to trial as required.

If the women feel harassed or exploited, they should file their claims with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and allow the system to achieve justice for them. If the EEOC determines that Letterman violated the rights of these women they can pursue their case in the court system.

Source: David Bauder AP Television Writer, Alleged blackmailer gets Gotti lawyer, The Times Leader Newspaper of Wilkes-Barre, PA, October 6, 2009.