CNN decided to part ways with their anchor Chris Cuomo after the New York Attorney General’s office revealed the host had a more prominent role in aiding his brother, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo handle his sexual harassment accusations.
As both sides deal with the fallout from the media perspective of things like what CNN will do with the timeslot and what’s next for Cuomo, the legal battle ensues. Puck News reports that Cuomo and CNN are lawyering up over his firing.
The former anchor has hired litigator Bryan Freedman, who managed Megyn Kelly’s departure from NBC, and CNN is working with WarnerMedia litigator Daniel Petrocelli.
The New York Post has also reported that Cuomo plans to sue the network if it refuses to pay him at least $18 million to cover what’s left on his contract.
Cuomo’s contract is reportedly worth $6 million annually; The Post adds that it leaves between $18 million and $20 million that the network owes him. However, the news outlet spoke to an insider, who stated that CNN has “no intention of paying [Chris] Cuomo a penny.”
“CNN has a standard morality clause in their contract that says if the employee does anything of disrepute, they can be immediately fired,” another source said to The Post.
Eduardo Razo is the Assistant Content Editor for BNM, which includes writing daily news stories on the news media industry. He can be found on Twitter @eddierazo_ or you can reach him by email at eddie1991razo@gmail.com.
