Douglas Austin was a former con man. In 1980, Douglas was a loyal friend to Victor Newman, Nikki Newman and Katherine Chancellor. In 1984, Victor realized that Eve Howard had tried to poison him so that her son, Charles, could inherit half his wealth. With the help of Julia Newman and his friend, Douglas, Victor began a scheme to trap Eve into confessing and even proposed to her which the greedy Eve quickly accepted. In 1992, with the help of long-time admirer and friend of Victor, Douglas, Leanna Love created the "I Hate Men Campaign" rallying wronged women everywhere.