According to a storey, ex-CNN head Jeff Zucker struck an eight-figure settlement with WarnerMedia for his abrupt resignation last month.
Under the terms of the agreement, Zucker, who departed abruptly after failing to reveal a romantic involvement with a coworker, would forgo his ability to sue his former employer, Deadline reported Tuesday.
The payment was announced after Zucker apparently engaged a top law firm to notify WarnerMedia that CEO Jason Kilar’s description of his leaving was defamatory.
According to the storey, the media giant isn’t interested in another round of negative headlines that may come with long-running legal litigation.
Zucker resigned on February 2 after failing to reveal his long-term connection with Allison Gollust, a former senior assistant to former Governor Andrew Cuomo who now works as the main network spokesman.
As CNN talent openly questioned the action, Kilar sent a memo claiming that Zucker and Gollust had broken corporate standards, according to a third-party legal firm.
Lawyers discovered that the two had too close contact with Cuomo, counselling him on his COVID-19 briefings and requesting that he conduct segments with his brother, CNN’s former star anchor Chris Cuomo.
Chris Cuomo was fired from the network after counselling Andrew Try on the sexual harassment allegations that led to the Democrat’s resignation. According to The New York Times, Chris Cuomo was dismissed days later when the network learned of a credible sexual assault complaint against him from a decade prior.
According to Deadline, Gollust negotiated her own $1 million settlement after disputing Kilar’s allegation and saying she was shocked by the legal inquiry.
As his brother dipped his toe back into politics, Chris Cuomo was seeking “Megyn Kelly money” from the network and was chasing a $60 million agreement.
