After talking in circles on the morning chat-fest circuit yesterday, the lawyer of accused David Letterman extortionist Robert “Joe” Halderman now seems to be less concerned with defending his client and more interested in causing personal and professional harm to Letterman. In an interview with the New York Times, Gerald L. Shargel promised that he would “put forward evidence” that Letterman sexually harassed his female employees and that he would be “sharing that in a courtroom.” We’re not quite sure what this has to do with proving that his client did not attempt to extort $2 million from the gap-toothed and extremely apologetic late-night icon, but hey, it’s not like either of your friendly Vulture editors went to law school! Heck, we learned most of our knowledge of courtroom strategy by watching Douglas Wambaugh.
On a related note, if you’re wondering what got Halderman so pissed that he considered ditching his high-paying career as a producer in order to become a screenwriter (albeit a very well-paid one) in the first place, the New York Post is reporting that Letterman and Stephanie Birkitt were making the beast with two backs while Birkitt was co-habitating with Halderman. According to their story, Letterman and Birkitt went on “hiking” trips to Dave’s luxurious ranch in Montana — as recently as last fall (!) — while Halderman remained home in Connecticut. Some of our more cynical readers are likely apt to believe that “hiking” is simply a euphemism for “boinking,” which means that the timing of said “hiking” trips would contradict previous reports that Letterman broke off this affair before the birth of his 5-year-old son, Harry. Whoops!
Halderman’s Lawyer: Letterman Harassed Staff [Wrap]
Letterman’s gal cheated on new beau — with Dave! [NYP]
