Was the David Letterman extortion plot all just a big misunderstanding?
That was Tuesday's argument from an attorney for defendant Robert Halderman — the CBS producer accused of attempting to blackmail the talk show host with incriminating details about his affairs with female staffers.
Stars caught cheating — see our slideshow roundup
Asking a New York judge to dismiss Halderman's indictment, defense lawyer Gerald Shargel said that his client wasn't blackmailing anyone; instead, he was trying to make a "hard-driven" deal to sell rights to a screenplay inspired by Letterman's sexually-charged workplace, reports the Daily News.
In fact, Shargel argues, the prosecution's case against the accused man "infringes on Halderman's basic First Amendment right to author and/or sell a book."
On Oct. 1, Halderman was arrested for attempting to extort $2 million from Letterman with a threat to leak information about his sexual affairs with female employees on his Late Show.
Papers released in court detail what Halderman's attorney characterizes as aggressive attempts to get a lucrative deal for a screenplay. Halderman observed that "Letterman had created and fostered an environment of workplace sexual misconduct that under any definition amounted to actionable sexual harassment."
Catch up on today's hottest celeb photos
On a personal note, Halderman also discovered that his live-in girlfriend, Late Show staffer Stephanie Birkitt, was having an affair with Letterman — the prosecution is arguing that his ensuing anger fueled his blackmail plot.
Halderman is currently charged with first-degree grand larceny.