Eliza Dushku testified in front of the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday about her sexual harassment accusations during her time on “Bull.”
In 2018, CBS agreed to pay Dushku $9.5 million after she claimed she was written off of “Bull” in retaliation for accusations she came forward with against Michael Weatherly.
Before Congress, Dushku was able to talk outside a non-disclosure agreement.
The actress said in her testimony: “In 2017, I was aggressively pursued by CBS to become a co-lead in a show called ‘Bull.’ I was told that the role would be a six-year commitment to play a smart, strong leading lady — a competent, high-powered lawyer meant to counter balance the existing male lead, and that the role had been written specifically with me in mind. However, in my first week on my new job I found myself the brunt of crude, sexualized and lewd verbal assaults. I suffered near constant sexual harassment from my co-star.”
Dushku added that Weatherly called her “legs” and talked about his sperm.
“During the course of taping our show, I made some jokes mocking some lines in the script. When Eliza told me that she wasn’t comfortable with my language and attempt at humor, I was mortified to have offended her and immediately apologized,” Weatherly told the New York Times in 2018. “After reflecting on this further, I better understand that what I said was both not funny and not appropriate and I am sorry and regret the pain this caused Eliza.”
“The allegations in Ms. Dushku’s claims are an example that, while we remain committed to a culture defined by a safe, inclusive and respectful workplace, our work is far from done,” CBS said in a statement to CNN around the time of the agreement. “The settlement of these claims reflects the projected amount that Ms. Dushku would have received for the balance of her contract as a series regular, and was determined in a mutually agreed upon mediation process at the time.”
Dushku said she is hoping to help end for others the secret arbitration process she felt forced to enter involving her allegations.