Former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo filed a lawsuit seeking $125 million and an apology from the network, The New York Times reports.
Cuomo was fired in December after an investigation into his efforts to help his brother, disgraced former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, beat back sexual harassment allegations. The former host filed an arbitration claim alleging that he was the victim of wrongful termination.
The suit seeks the $15 million Cuomo had remaining on his contract as well as “future wages lost as a result of CNN’s efforts to destroy his reputation.”
Cuomo was fired days after New York Attorney General Letitia James released numerous emails and texts showing that Cuomo was heavily involved in his brother’s attempts to counter the sexual harassment claims.
Zucker role:
Cuomo was fired by then-CNN President Jeff Zucker.
Cuomo has insisted that Zucker was aware of his aid to his brother, which Zucker has denied.
A WarnerMedia investigation into Cuomo ultimately led to Zucker’s ouster after he admitted to failing to disclose a romantic relationship with network marketing executive Allison Gollust.
Gollust, a former aide to Andrew Cuomo, was also involved in the effort and has since stepped down.
WarnerMedia said that “investigation found violations of company policies, including CNN’s news standards and practices, by Jeff Zucker, Allison Gollust and Chris Cuomo.”
Zucker and Gollust denied any wrongdoing.
Cuomo says he didn’t lie:
Cuomo’s lawyer said that it “should be obvious that Chris Cuomo did not lie to CNN about helping his brother.”
“In fact, as the limited information released from WarnerMedia’s investigation makes clear, CNN’s highest-level executives not only knew about Chris’s involvement in helping his brother but also actively assisted the governor, both through Chris and directly themselves,” the attorney said.
