Brooke Nevils is a former NBC News employee who has accused television host Matt Lauer of rape. She detailed the alleged attack in Ronan Farrow’s new book, Catch and Kill.
Nevils, who was an assistant to Lauer at the time of the alleged attack, says she met the host at a work party in Sochi, Russia in 2014. She alleges that Lauer invited her back to his hotel room, where he raped her.
Nevils says she did not report the attack at the time because she was afraid of losing her job. She eventually left NBC News in 2016.
In a statement, Lauer denied the allegations, saying that the encounter was consensual.
The accusations against Lauer come as the #MeToo movement has led to a reckoning in the media industry, with a number of high-profile men being accused of misconduct.
The Allegations Against Matt Lauer
On November 29, 2017, Brooke Nevils, a former NBC News employee, accused Matt Lauer of rape. The allegation was first reported by Variety.
According to Variety, Nevils was working as a producer on The Today Show in 2014 when she met Lauer at the Sochi Olympics. The two allegedly began a relationship that continued when they returned to New York.
Nevils alleges that the relationship turned non-consensual in March of 2014 when Lauer assaulted her in his hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton in New York.
Nevils told Variety that she did not report the incident at the time because she was afraid of losing her job. She also said that she continued to have a relationship with Lauer for several months after the alleged assault.
In November of 2017, Nevils reported the incident to NBC News human resources. Lauer was subsequently fired from The Today Show.
Nevilsโs allegation was first made public in Ronan Farrowโs book, Catch and Kill. In the book, Farrow writes that Nevilsโs story was corroborated by six other people.
Lauer has denied the allegation, calling it โcategorically false.โ
Brooke Nevils’ Legal Options
Brooke Nevils is an American journalist who accused Matt Lauer of rape.
Nevils accused Lauer of raping her in his hotel room at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, where she was working as an NBC News producer. She said that the rape occurred after she had several drinks with Lauer and then went to his hotel room to retrieve her press credentials.
Nevils is now planning to take legal action against Lauer. Here are her three legal options:
1. File a police report
Nevils could file a police report against Lauer, which would trigger a criminal investigation. If the police determine that there is enough evidence to charge Lauer with rape, he could be arrested and prosecuted.
2. File a civil lawsuit
Nevils could also file a civil lawsuit against Lauer, alleging that he raped her and seeking damages. Even if the police do not pursue a criminal investigation, a civil lawsuit could still proceed.
3. Go public with her story
Nevils could choose to go public with her story, without taking any legal action. This could potentially help other women who have been victimized to come forward and tell their stories.
No matter what legal option Nevils chooses, her story could have a major impact on the #MeToo movement and the fight against.
What Happens Next?
Brooke Nevils, the former NBC News staffer who accused Matt Lauer of rape, is breaking her silence.
In an exclusive interview with Savannah Guthrie on NBCโs โTodayโ show, Nevils said she was โterrifiedโ to come forward but felt it was her โdutyโ to do so.
โI am doing this to take back my power,โ Nevils said. โI have identified Matt Lauer as my rapist.โ
Nevils said the rape occurred at the 2014 Sochi Olympics after she had several drinks with Lauer at a hotel bar. She said she passed out in Lauerโs hotel room and woke up to him raping her.
โIt was non-consensual in that I said, multiple times, that I didnโt want to have,โ Nevils said.
Nevils said she did not report the rape at the time because she was afraid of losing her job. She said she continued to have a relationship with Lauer for several months after the alleged rape, which she said she now realizes was part of a โgraphic pattern of harassmentโ by Lauer.
โI feel like Iโve been living a double life,โ Nevils said. โI feel like Iโve been living in a world of secrets and lies.โ
Nevilsโs interview comes just over a year after Lauer was fired from NBC News after multiple women accused him of misconduct. Lauer has denied all the allegations against him.
In a statement to NBC News, Lauer said: โIt is categorically false, ignores the facts, and defies common sense.โ
Nevilsโs accusations against Lauer are detailed in Ronan Farrowโs new book, โCatch and Kill,โ which was released on Tuesday.
In the book, Farrow alleges that NBC News knew about accusations of misconduct by Lauer for years but failed to act.
NBC News has denied any wrongdoing
