Morgan Freeman’s Legal Team Takes Shots At CNN Over Sexual Harassment Story

TMZ reports that attorneys for Morgan Freeman, who was recently accused of sexual harassment and misconduct, have taken shots at CNN over their reporting of the story. They call the story “the product of malicious intent, falsehoods, slight-of-hand, an absence of editorial control, and journalistic malpractice.”

CNN’s initial report had claims from eight women who worked with the actor on films and other events. They claimed he made inappropriate remarks and once tried to lift a woman’s skirt to check for underwear. Freeman’s lawyers claim the report came from bias of reporter Chloe Melas. She said during an interview with Freeman (while she was six months pregnant), he looked her over and said: “You are ripe. Boy, do I wish I was there.” They claim that Melas’ version isn’t true. They say the only comment on tape is “I wish I was there,” which they claim is a reference to a story of Michael Caine’s in which he congratulated a woman who he thought was pregnant but wasn’t.

The letter sent to CNN reads: “One cannot know if [Melas’ version of events] was the product of something as innocuous as Ms. Melas having misheard what Mr. Freeman said, her runaway self-centeredness, or her search for a sexual harassment perpetrator to ‘expose’ so that she could grab attention and advance her career.”

They say CNN gave her “greenlight to use CNN’s considerable resources to launch a year-long witch hunt against Mr. Freeman.” They added that at least two of the alleged victims claim CNN misreported what they said. They are demanding a retraction and an apology.