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97.5 The Fanatic host Mike Missanelli co-hosted a Philadelphia Eagles postgame show for JAKIB Media in 2022 and 2023. In a recent lawsuit filed, Missanelli claims the company and its founder Joseph Krause agreed to pay him $100,000 for the 2023 season, but that he wasn’t paid anywhere near that amount.
“I gave him plenty of time to pay what he owed,” Missanelli told the Philadelphia Inquirer recently. “Chasing him down was exhausting, which is why I finally decided to sue.”
After a hearing in the case today, JAKIB Media posted on its X account accusing Missanelli of verbal and physical abuse. The post read, “Following today’s court hearing in Norristown, where JAKIB Sports declined a $40,000 settlement offer, an incident occurred involving Mike Missanelli. He verbally threatened & attempted to physically attack our founder, Joe Krause, in the courthouse lobby by the elevators after the hearing. We will not stand down to Mike Missanelli, and we will not be bullied. He did not fulfill his contract, and he knows it. A police report is being filed tonight with the Norristown Police Department, and we are prepared to press charges. JAKIB Sports is committed to seeing this through the proper legal channels.”
Missanelli gave the following statement to Barrett Media:
“Joe Krause lost his court case with me today and was obviously sour after the fact. I turned down his settlement offer of less than half of the $85,000 that he owes me for services rendered. He has repeatedly tried to circumvent payment to many he employed for his fledgling company, and I have begun the process of legal action to recover what’s owed. There was no physical altercation other than his failed, belligerent attempt to get into the elevator with my attorney and myself.”
Since posting this story initially, JAKIB Media has posted the following statement on their X account:
“We have been reached for comment by the Inquirer & other outlets. For the sake of full transparency, this is our founder’s official full statement on yesterday’s incident: “Yesterday afternoon at the Montgomery County Courthouse, Mike Missanelli exited a fifth-floor elevator and approached me in an aggressive and threatening manner. With a hostile look and shouting, ‘I WILL F***ING TAKE YOU OUT RIGHT NOW,’ his actions demonstrated a clear intent to intimidate and threaten harm.
A courthouse officer had to intervene and physically restrain him to prevent further escalation. Terroristic threats and intimidation are serious offenses under Pennsylvania law, and I am committed to holding Mike accountable for such unlawful behavior. A formal complaint has been filed with the District Attorney’s Office. Since this incident occurred within a courthouse, which is County property, a special prosecutor has been assigned to handle the matter. Harassment and intimidation have no place in our society, and I will ensure that appropriate legal actions are taken to address this incident.”
Missanelli isn’t alone in suing JAKIB Media of late. Audacy has also recently filed suit against the company for $440,000 in missed payments after it “failed to pay in full for paid programming agreements” on WPHT.
Those programs weren’t limited to just sports content. Some other programs focusing on legal advice, real estate investing, and medical care aired on sister station 1210 WPHT for a more than three-year period.
