Eliza Dushku Breaks Silence on Michael Weatherly Harassment Settlement

Eliza Dushku is speaking out after it was revealed that she was paid $9.5 million in a settlement with CBS after making a harassment claim against Bull co-star Michael Weatherly.

In an essay for the Boston Globe, the 37-year-old actress fought back against Michael‘s “deceptive” narrative about the situation and how she was treated for “simply asking to do my job without relentless sexual harassment.”

Eliza says that Michael made inappropriate commentary including an “offer to take me to his ‘rape van,’” requests for a threesome and to spank her.

“This is not a ‘he-said/she-said’ case. Weatherly’s behavior was captured on CBS’s own videotape recordings,” Eliza explained.

She added, “After weeks of enduring Weatherly’s harassment, I resolved to deal with it directly…Framing my request as a plea for ‘help’ in setting a different tone on the set, I asked him to ‘be my ally’ and to ‘help ease the sexualized set comments.’ Weatherly responded with, ‘Eliza, no one respects women more than I do,’ citing his many sisters and his professed history of being ‘too respectful of women.’”

Moments after the conversation, Michael asked to have Eliza exit the show and she was written off within 48 hours.

Eliza explained, “Weatherly texted CBS Television President David Stapf about 40 minutes after our conversation and asked for what amounted to my being written off the show. Specifically, Weatherly complained that I had a ‘humor deficit.’”

Since the settlement, CBS has hired a sexual harassment compliance to monitor the show, but Eliza would still like to meet with director Steven Spielberg, whose Amblin Television produces Bull.

Read Eliza‘s entire essay on BostonGlobe.com.