According to a stunning new complaint, a former NBC college intern says that a media executive who most recently held the position of senior executive at CNN sexually assaulted her while they were covering the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
In a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court on Thursday, Aarthi Rajaraman, now 47, claims that during a three-week stint as an NBC production assistant, Michael Bass—at the time a “Today” show coordinating producer assigned to Olympics coverage—lured her to a hotel room and assaulted her. The lawsuit also names the network’s parent company, NBC/Universal Media.
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Rajaraman claimed in the lawsuit that other senior NBC executives had been having fun with younger employees at the time.
Rajaraman, a 20-year-old college sophomore, needed to use the restroom after dinner and drinks with Bass and their crew in July 1996. She was on her way home around 5 a.m. at the time.
According to court documents, Rajaraman claims that her boss “tricked” her into using the restroom in his hotel suite where she mistakenly thought his wife and infant were staying.
Bass “began kissing and groping her without her consent” before “putting his hands up her shirt and down her skirt,” according to court filings, and she quickly discovered she was by herself in the hotel room with her employer.
Later that day, the lawsuit claims Bass, who was at the time NBC’s “superstar” and “up and comer,” called Rajamaran and threatened her, telling her “Don’t tell anyone.”
Following Jeff Zucker’s resignation as president of the network, Bass went on to hold positions as senior executive producer for CBS News’ morning shows and executive vice president of programming for CNN until last year. During that time, he also served as the network’s interim co-head.
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Rajaraman was “blackballed” by her previous boss, who allegedly pulled the strings to have her rejected from numerous job prospects in New York City after Rajaraman turned down his advances.
According to an online biography, Rajaraman has since worked for a variety of networks and publications, including CNN, HBO, and CBS.
