Legal Newswire Blog

Posts Tagged ‘David Letterman Extortion’

Robert Halderman’s lawyer, Gerald Shargel, in an interview on CBS “The Early Show” yesterday, said David Letterman was offered a $2 million deal for first rights to a “screenplay” by his client, Robert Halderman. Shargel said it was a business transaction, the way Hollywood works, not extortion.

Gerald Shargel, attorney for Robert Joe Halderman. (AP Photo/ Louis Lanzano)

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Documents filed by Halderman’s lawyer claim David Letterman was having an affair with his former personal assistant, Stephanie Birkitt, much more recently than Letterman’s rep said.

The legal papers filed by the defense state that Robert Halderman confronted Stephanie Birkitt in December 2008 with evidence of the affair and she promised to end it. But Gerald Shargel, Halderman’s lawyer, claims the relationship continued “unabated” into this past summer.

Letterman’s rep has said the affair ended before Letterman’s marriage in March. Letterman came forward with the alleged extortion plot in early September.

Letterman’s attorney refused to say when the talk show host broke off his affair with Birkitt. Halderman’s lawyer did not elaborate about the sexual relationship and said he was looking forward to cross examining Letterman.

Shargel asked the judge to dismiss the extortion case, on grounds authorities were swept up in “the sensationalism surrounding the indictment” and the grand jury didn’t have enough evidence to target Halderman.

The lawyer claims the $2 million demand was “a pure commercial transaction” over a screenplay.

Related searches:
Find a lawyer
Criminal defense lawyers

David Letterman Extorted for $2 Million

Robert “Joe” Halderman, a well known CBS producer for “48 Hours”, was arrested outside CBS headquarters in NYC for attempted grand larceny after trying to deposit a $2 million check (the amount he tried to extort from Letterman).

Until recently Halderman was living with Stephanie Birkitt, Letterman’s former assistant.

TMZ reports that Halderman had a relationship with Stephanie Birkitt and lived with her, but says they had broken up “recently.”

“We do not know who ended the relationship, but Halderman allegedly was in possession of Birkitt’s diary, correspondence and photos which he says incriminated Letterman.”

“People connected with the network tell us Letterman did have a relationship with Birkitt, but the word is that it ended before Letterman had his baby in 2003,” TMZ said.

According to TMZ Manhattan D.A. played the investigation close to the vest and people inside the building were baffled when the highly-respected producer was cuffed and hauled off in the David Letterman extortion case.

Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said three meetings were held between Halderman and Letterman’s lawyers at the Essex House. Letterman was not at any of the meetings. During the 3rd meeting, the check for $ 2 million was turned over to Halderman.

Morgenthau says Letterman’s lawyer wore a wire and the last two meetings were audio taped.

Halderman deposited the check which was designed to bounce the next morning and was then arrested.