Herman Cain accuser sues newsman Bill Kurtis
SUN-TIMES MEDIA November 6, 2012 7:24PM
Chicago television anchor Bill Kurtis. | Photo courtesy of Robert Carl
Updated: December 8, 2012 6:35AM
CHICAGO — The Glenview woman who accused former presidential candidate Herman Cain of sexual harassment filed a $1.6 million suit Monday against veteran news anchor Bill Kurtis over alleged comments he made about her on a Chicago radio show.
Sharon Bialek claims Kurtis, a Mettawa resident, questioned her story on the Roe Conn show on WLS radio on Nov. 7, 2011. Richard Roeper, a Sun-Times columnist, also is on the show.
Bialek’s suit said Kurtis’ “knowingly false” and “malicious” comments smeared her reputation, hindered her job search and forced her to seek medical treatment for physical and emotional distress.
Bialek did not say which comments were defamatory.
Bialek is representing herself in the lawsuit, which also lists Kurtis’ employer, CBS Corp., as a defendant.
Mike Nelson, a spokesman for CBS television stations, declined to comment on the suit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court. A message left at Kurtis’ production company was not returned.
Bialek made headlines in late 2011 when she claimed Cain groped her in a car when she sought his help finding a job more than a decade earlier. The Republican hopeful denied her accusations, but ultimately pulled out of the race, citing the hurt the allegations caused his family.
