Michael Weatherly Lawsuit: Dushku’s Claims and $9.5M Settlement

The Michael Weatherly lawsuit is a bit of a misnomer: no lawsuit was ever filed in open court. In 2018, CBS paid actress Eliza Dushku $9.5 million to settle allegations that Weatherly, her co-star on the legal drama Bull, sexually harassed her on set and that she was fired in retaliation for complaining. The dispute went through confidential mediation because Dushku’s contract required it, and the settlement stayed private until reporting by the New York Times made it public.¹

What Dushku Alleged

Dushku was hired in March 2017 for a three-episode arc on Bull, with the understanding it could turn into a series regular role lasting up to six seasons.² She said the harassment from Weatherly started in her first week and continued daily.

According to her account, Weatherly offered to take her to his “rape van,” which he described as containing lubricants and “long phallic things.” He repeatedly called her “legs,” made audible groans about her appearance, suggested a threesome, and boasted about his “powerful swimmers.” After she flubbed a line, she said he told her, in front of roughly 100 people on set, that he would “take you over my knee and spank you like a little girl.”³

Dushku also alleged Weatherly played the song “Barracuda” when she walked to her marks, mocked sexual harassment training by shouting “yellow card” after crude remarks, and once pretended to urinate on a plant in front of her and her husband. Much of the behavior, she said, was captured on CBS’s own behind-the-scenes video recordings, which were inadvertently shared with her legal counsel during the settlement process.³

The Complaint and the Firing

Dushku said she eventually spoke to Weatherly directly and asked him to be her “ally” in easing the comments. She said he responded that “no one respects women more than I do.”⁴ About 40 minutes after that conversation, Weatherly texted CBS Television Studios president David Stapf, complaining that Dushku had a “humor deficit” and asking that she be written off the show.⁵

Within 48 hours of her complaint, showrunner Glenn Gordon Caron fired her. Dushku’s agent and manager contacted CBS executives, who were reportedly surprised, said they did not believe Caron had the authority to fire her, and indicated the network was satisfied with her work.³ Caron, through a representative, denied that Dushku’s harassment complaints played any role in her departure.⁶

Why There Was No Courtroom Lawsuit

Dushku’s employment contract contained a mandatory arbitration clause. That clause barred her from filing suit in open court and required all proceedings to remain confidential, with records permanently sealed.⁷ Rather than pursue what she described as an expensive, multi-year arbitration process stacked in the employer’s favor, Dushku chose to settle.

The Settlement Terms

CBS paid Dushku $9.5 million. The network said the figure reflected the projected compensation she would have earned as a series regular over four seasons.⁸ Dushku said it was slightly more than half of what she was contractually owed for a potential six-season run.⁷

Beyond the money, Dushku negotiated two conditions: that CBS designate a sexual harassment compliance monitor for the show and for Weatherly specifically, and that she be allowed to meet with executive producer Steven Spielberg to discuss what had happened on set.³ CBS required a non-disclosure agreement as part of the deal.⁸

Dushku also alleged that during the settlement process, CBS lawyers used a photo of her in a bathing suit from her own Instagram account, implying she “deserved or was not offended by the sexual harassment.”⁹

Weatherly’s Response

Weatherly issued a statement through the New York Times in December 2018. He said that when Dushku told him she was uncomfortable with his language, he “was mortified to have offended her and immediately apologized,” adding: “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.”¹⁰ On the firing, Weatherly told the Times: “It’s my recollection that I didn’t tell anyone how they should do their job regarding the hiring or firing of anybody.”⁴

Dushku disputed the apology in her own op-ed, writing that “Weatherly never apologized to me.”⁴ CBS entertainment president Kelly Kahl said publicly that Weatherly “owned that mistake” and had agreed to coaching and training.¹⁰

What CBS’s Own Investigators Found

In August 2018, the CBS board hired law firms Covington & Burling and Debevoise & Plimpton to examine sexual misconduct allegations across the network. A draft of their report, reviewed by the New York Times, concluded that CBS’s handling of Dushku’s complaints was “misguided” and “emblematic of larger problems at CBS,” finding a pattern of protecting the company at the expense of victims.¹

What Came After

Dushku testified before the House Judiciary Committee on November 16, 2021, at a hearing titled “Silenced: How Forced Arbitration Keeps Victims of Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment in the Shadows.” She told lawmakers that despite hundreds of hours of tape corroborating her claims, she remained “trapped” by the arbitration agreement.¹¹ The day after her testimony, the committee voted in favor of the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act.⁷ President Biden signed the bill into law on March 3, 2022. The Speak Out Act, which limits pre-dispute non-disclosure agreements in sexual harassment cases, followed on December 7, 2022.¹²

Dushku confirmed she did meet with Spielberg as the settlement required, describing a conversation about “possible solutions for this systemic imbalance of power.” Spielberg’s Amblin Television confirmed in 2019 that it was “no longer attached to Bull.”¹³ Caron continued as showrunner for several years, but in May 2021, following a separate workplace investigation prompted by a wave of writers leaving the series, CBS ended his overall deal and removed him. People familiar with the situation described the environment under Caron as ranging from “dysfunctional to toxic.”¹⁴

Bull ended after its sixth season in May 2022. Weatherly announced the show’s conclusion that January, saying he had decided to “pursue new creative challenges.”¹⁵ He returned to the NCIS franchise in 2025, reprising his role as Tony DiNozzo alongside Cote de Pablo in the Paramount+ series NCIS: Tony & Ziva. The 10-episode first season premiered on September 4, 2025, with its finale on October 23, 2025.¹⁶ As of late 2025, the show had not been officially renewed for a second season.¹⁷

1
The New York Times. CBS Bull Weatherly Dushku Sexual Harassment
2
Variety. Eliza Dushku Fired From Bull After Sexual Harassment
3
U.S. Congress. Eliza Dushku Written Testimony, House Judiciary Committee
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ABC News. Eliza Dushku Pens Op-Ed Slamming Harassment Spin
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CBS News. Eliza Dushku Bull Michael Weatherly Harassment Settlement
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The Hollywood Reporter. Glenn Gordon Caron CBS Bull Investigation
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Harper’s Bazaar. Eliza Dushku Forced Arbitration CBS Bull Harassment Congressional Testimony
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NPR. CBS Paid Eliza Dushku 9.5 Million After Alleged Sexual Harassment Termination
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Time. Eliza Dushku CBS Michael Weatherly Harassment
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People. CBS Exec Addresses Michael Weatherly Sexual Harassment Allegations
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U.S. Congress. Silenced: How Forced Arbitration Keeps Victims of Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment in the Shadows
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CBS News. CBS Les Moonves Settlement With New York Attorney General
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Deadline. Bull Steven Spielberg Amblin TV Pulls Out CBS Drama
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Deadline. Glenn Gordon Caron Out Bull Showrunner Deal With CBS Studios Ends
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E! Online. Michael Weatherly and CBS Announce That Bull Is Coming to an End
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Variety. NCIS Tony and Ziva Release Date Paramount Plus
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Good Housekeeping. Will Mark Harmon Return to NCIS Michael Weatherly