'Everybody Loves Raymond' star Patricia Heaton's husband accused of sexual misconduct by writers of her new CBS show
Patricia Heaton's producer husband David Hunt, who is an executive producer for their upcoming show 'Carol's Second Act' has been accused of sexual misconduct by two writers of the show. Hunt has been accused by 25-year-old Broti Gupta, who claims that Hunt touched her inappropriately on two separate occasions.
One of the events took place in August when Hunt and Gupta were at a parking lot. Gupta recalled that Hunt hugged her twice from the side and then ran his hand up the side of her thigh after the two were heading back from a work event.
The second incident happened when Hunt was reportedly looking for something and in doing so he took Gupta "by the shoulders and jerked her forward", as reported by The New York Times. 'Carol's Second Act' co-executive producer Margee Magee, who was seated next to Gupta, stated that she was present when the second incident took place.
The two ladies decided to report the incident to the showrunners. However, Gupta stated that she did not want Hunt out of the show. "I told them just my own personal code of ethics, which is that if there is space for education instead of punitive measures, then I believe in education," she said.
Despite bringing the matter to notice, Gupta and Magee revealed that no action was taken but their responsibilities towards the show were diminished and they were often asked not to come during the rehearsals.
Showrunners and CBS representatives defended their actions by commenting that this action was only taken to avoid "chaos" while the shoot is going on. This led Gupta and Magee to resign from their position. Bryan Freedman, a lawyer for Hunt denied these claims as he stated that his client "does not recall rubbing anyone’s thigh or leg and he disputes that characterization of it."
CBS has agreed to pay Gupta and Magee for the work that had been done by them and added that it, "supported their request to waive any contractual provisions that would prevent them from speaking about their experiences on the show."
Meanwhile, CBS also sent a letter to Hunt in October with regard to the incident. The letter read, "Your behavior caused the individual who raised the concerns to feel genuinely uncomfortable in the workplace and it reflected a disregard for CBS’ policies and guidance in the matter. You are hereby cautioned not to engage in such behavior."