CBS's 'Matlock' Sexual Assault Scandal Escalates With Actor's Demands

The case between the "Matlock" stars is making headlines once again as the internal investigation progresses.

The battle began after actor David Del Rio was accused of sexually assaulting his co-star, Leah Lewis, last year. The accusations created an uproar as they allegedly occurred on Paramount property, and CBS took on the investigation.

CBS's "Matlock" star has since been striving to clear his name by sharing evidence to attest to the fact that his co-star's claims are false. This situation had a splash of effect on Del Rio, and since he was taken off the show, his character had to be written off to accommodate reality.

Following the sexual assault accusations made against Del Rio by his former co-star, CBS decided it was best to get to the bottom of the matter and hence started an internal investigation. Now, it is being shared that the investigation has been concluded, and everyone, including the actor, wants to know the findings.

The actor feels that the outcome of their investigations should be made public, just like his job termination was. He claims that he had submitted enough evidence to prove his innocence and has told his team to specifically request that CBS come forward with their findings.

Sources close to the accused actor share that Del Rio is frustrated at the fact that he was fired from the job instantly, and the reopened investigation has taken over two months. He feels they are dragging their feet on the matter, even though it is expected that the news would be made public by the end of the week.

The scandal erupted in October last year, and since then, the actor lost his place on the series, which was recently renewed for season three. TMZ notes that the investigations were handled internally by CBS without employing any help from any third party.

Shortly after Lewis made her accusations about her co-star sexually assaulting her on Paramount property, things took a rapid spin. Del Rio was kicked off the show immediately and escorted off the property by the executive producer of the show, bringing an abrupt end to the appearance of his character behind screens.

The writers and creative team started working on the scripts for the show and future episodes since the lead character was off, as the case remained unresolved.

The actor strongly denied the allegations and sought legal help, hiring popular attorney Shawn Holly. The charges were not laid in court; instead, CBS started its investigations.

In November, just before Thanksgiving, the investigations were reopened, more evidence was produced, and cast members were interviewed, including Del Rio. 

So far, CBS Studios has declined to comment, maintaining that they do not comment on legal matters. Del Rio has yet to make an official statement addressing the current situation.

While news of the scandal was spreading like wildfire, De Rio personally turned off his social battery for a while. Apart from vehemently denying the accusations and getting legal counsel to back him up in his fight, the actor did not share much of his life during the early brewing periods of the case.

Notably, in December, he suddenly returned to Instagram to share a photo of his family from the holidays on his stories. The belated Thanksgiving photos captured a strong family front featuring his wife and daughters.

The Blast shared that the family of four posed with smiles beside an inflatable gingerbread man. "Belated Thanksgiving fun! Deeply thankful for my family — who always show up for the girls and I," he captioned the photo.

Months after he was fired from "Matlock", the actor still showed that he would not go down without a fight. US Magazine shared that he still presented some new evidence recently to aid his case. His pile of evidence included text messages between him and his co-star and a list of witnesses who can speak in his defense.

The actor believes, as per a source, that the initial investigation, which led to his firing from the show, was not correctly handled, saying "David's team believes he was fired without appropriate due process or a proper investigation."

They also disclose that the two stars had a smooth working relationship, describing it as playful, adding that Del Rio was Lewis's close confidante on set. The actress's previous statement, made in 2024, supports the nature of their relationship as stated by the source.

"Del Rio has one of the largest personalities and skill sets that I've ever been able to work with. So, it's been playtime," she said after sharing how much she had learned from him. Lewis also said that they had a lot of fun working together and were often found dancing and twinkling around the set.

David and his wife, Katherine Del Rio, have come a long way. They met while Katherine was still a student at New York University. She attended the Broadway production of "In The Heights" with her parents, and was captured by her now husband's performance. She previously disclosed that she developed a little crush on the actor from that moment.

The Blast shared that they met once again three years later and decided to take a chance at love. The lovebirds got engaged in 2017 and had their nuptials a year later at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, where they first met.

After the news of the allegations came to light, Katherine took to Instagram fiercely defending her husband. In a now-deleted post, she shared a zoomed-in picture of Lewis's face with the words "this is the most disturbing human being I have ever met."

Later on, she shared another photo with her mom, captioned "Mom is here. We're moving forward in love and strength after what Leah did to our family. Thank you all for the love and support!"

What would be the outcome of the CBS "Matlock" stars' brawl?