Ex-Doctor Sues CBS Over Show on Sex Surgery

A former gynecologist filed a $250-million libel suit Monday against CBS Inc., claiming that a 1988 news segment about his surgery to alter women’s genitals to enhance their sexual enjoyment was character assassination and destroyed his professional reputation.

The suit, filed by James Burt, 68, in U.S. District Court in Dayton, Ohio, referred to a report by the now-defunct news magazine “West 57th,” which dealt with his book, “Surgery of Love.” Also named as defendants were the producer and reporter of the segment, a doctor and a woman who claimed that the surgery was performed on her without her consent.

Tom Goodman, a CBS spokesman in New York, said: “We believe the report was entirely fair and accurate, and CBS News stands by it. We’ll refrain from further comment until we’ve seen the lawsuit.”