LOS ANGELES -- As the former captain in charge of the Hollywood Division of the Los Angeles Police Department, Cory Palka was a star himself.
The towering cop with a telegenic smile hobnobbed with celebrities getting stars on the Walk of Fame, ran security for the Oscars awards show and even landed a bit part playing himself on the television drama “Bosch” about a talented but troubled maverick LAPD detective.
But Palka’s ties to the entertainment industry were under scrutiny Thursday after prosecutors said he leaked a sexual assault victim’s confidential police report to CBS and its former leader Les Moonves, who was accused in the case and whom Palka once provided security for, raising questions about where his allegiances lay.
The LAPD said it was conducting an internal affairs investigation into Palka's conduct and the state attorney general was probing any criminal elements after a report said he conspired with CBS to conceal sexual assault allegations against Moonves.
The report, which didn't name Palka, was part of a settlement announced Wednesday by New York Attorney General Letitia James in which CBS and Moonves, its former president, agreed to pay $30.5 million. About $6 million is going sexual assault and harassment programs and the rest to shareholders kept in the dark while executives tried to prevent allegations from becoming public.
At least one executive privy to an internal investigation about Moonves' conduct sold millions of dollars of stock before the allegations against Moonves became public, which the attorney general’s office said amounted to insider trading.
Weeks after the #MeToo movement erupted with sex abuse allegations against film mogul Harvey Weinstein in 2017, Phyllis Golden-Gottlieb reported to police in the Hollywood Division that she had been sexually assaulted by Moonves in 1986 and 1988 when they worked together at Lorimar Productions, the studio behind “Dallas” and “Knots Landing.”
A law enforcement official briefed on the matter confirmed that Golden-Gottlieb, who died this summer, was the woman involved. The official was not authorized to speak publicly and did so on condition of anonymity.
Attorney Gloria Allred, who represented Golden-Gottlieb, said in nearly a half-century of legal practice, she had never heard of police tipping off a suspect to an investigation and said it could have a chilling effect on other women coming forward to report abuse.
“It’s very, very disturbing,” Allred said. “It’s really outrageous if they did that. And I have to ask, what were their motives if that, in fact occurred? Why were they, for example, trying to curry favor with CBS? Did they receive anything in return?”
Golden-Gottlieb went public with her accusations at the time Ronan Farrow reported on allegations against Moonves in The New Yorker in September 2018. Within hours of that publication, Moonves quit.
Several hours after Golden-Gottlieb made her report — which was marked “confidential” in three places — Palka tipped off CBS, the report said. Palka then met personally with Moonves and another CBS executive.
The New York AG's report said the complainant had requested confidentiality. It cited the California Constitution, which prohibits disclosure of confidential information to “a defendant, a defendant’s attorney, or any other person acting on behalf of the defendant that could be used to locate or harass the victim or the victim’s family.”
The captain told CBS that he instructed police officers investigating the complaint to “admonish” the woman not to go to the media with her allegations. He also put CBS officials in touch with the lead investigator.
CBS immediately went into damage control mode, with an executive alerting a member of the news staff to stay close to the phone because they “have a situation.” He told another staffer not to miss any messages and added: “I wouldn’t bother you if this wasn’t serious.”
They began drafting different statements about Golden-Gottlieb and consulted with an outside public relations firm about potential fallout, the report said.
When the allegations ultimately became public, Palka sent a note to a CBS contact saying, “We worked so hard to try to avoid this day.” He sent Moonves a note saying he was sorry and, "I will always stand with, by and pledge my allegiance to you.”
From 2008 to 2014, Palka had provided private security for Moonves at the Grammy Awards, which CBS produced.
In Hollywood, Palka who stands well over 6 feet (2 meters) tall, was a public figure.
He was a frequent presence on the Walk of Fame, posing with celebrities like Jack Black, Carrie Underwood and Stacy Keach. He was personally thanked during Mark Hamill’s star ceremony and posed with Hamill, Harrison Ford and George Lucas.
He was honored in 2019 as one of the Hollywood Chamber Community Foundation’s “Heroes of Hollywood.” The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which runs the Walk of Fame star ceremonies, declined to comment.
An attorney for Moonves and CBS did not return requests for comment Thursday, nor did Palka.
Palka's LinkedIn profile said he was incident commander at the Academy Awards and "numerous high profile events related to the entertainment industry.”
The Los Angeles County district attorney declined to file criminal charges against Moonves in 2018, saying the statute of limitations had expired.
Moonves acknowledged having relations with three of his accusers, but said they were consensual. He denied attacking anyone, saying in a statement at the time that “Untrue allegations from decades ago are now being made against me.”
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Associated Press writer Michael R. Sisak in New York contributed.
