NEW YORK (AP) — A judge has turned down a TV producer’s request to toss out a criminal case accusing him of blackmailing David Letterman over the comic’s love life.
Manhattan state Supreme Court Justice Charles Solomon ruled Tuesday on Robert “Joe” Halderman’s bid to get the attempted grand larceny case dismissed.
Prosecutors say Halderman demanded $2 million to keep quiet about the “Late Show” host’s affairs with staffers. Halderman says he just offered Letterman a chance to buy — and keep private — a thinly-veiled screenplay about his life.
The case spurred the late-night icon to tell viewers in October that he had slept with women who worked for him.
The 52-year-old Halderman could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.