The woman who filed a complaint with NBC News against Matt Lauer on Monday night, accusing him of “inappropriate sexual behavior,” met with the New York Times on Monday afternoon, the paper revealed Wednesday morning.
The woman was not ready to tell her story publicly at that time, according to the New York Times.
Both the New York Times and Variety have been working on stories about sexual harassment allegations against Lauer for several weeks, as CNN’s Brian Stelter reported shortly after NBC News announced that Lauer had been fired. Neither outlet has published the results of their investigations.
Civil rights lawyer Ari Wilkenfeld told the New York Times that he was representing the woman who filed the complaint with NBC News that prompted Lauer’s firing. He would not name his client but confirmed that they met with NBC officials Monday.
“My client and I met with representatives from NBC’s Human Resources and Legal Departments at 6 p.m. on Monday for an interview that lasted several hours. Our impression at this point is that NBC acted quickly, as all companies should, when confronted with credible allegations of sexual misconduct in the workplace,” Wilkenfeld told the New York Times in a statement. “While I am encouraged by NBC’s response to date, I am in awe of the courage my client showed to be the first to raise a complaint and to do so without making any demands other than the company do the right thing.”
