{"id":1325666,"date":"2022-02-22T08:02:11","date_gmt":"2022-02-22T13:02:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1325666"},"modified":"2022-02-22T08:07:58","modified_gmt":"2022-02-22T13:07:58","slug":"the-cnn-cuomo-gollust-zucker-legal-mess","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-cnn-cuomo-gollust-zucker-legal-mess\/","title":{"rendered":"The CNN-Cuomo-Gollust-Zucker Legal Mess"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">8<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-cnn-cuomo-gollust-zucker-legal-mess%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1325666&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div id=\"speechkit-wrapper\" class=\"speechkit-wrapper\">\n<p><span class=\"label-bg\">NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"speakable\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/cnn-mourns-jeff-zucker-disaster-everywhere\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ongoing saga<\/a> surrounding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/deja-vu-interim-cnn-boss-amy-entelis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CNN<\/a> is a &#8220;legal mess&#8221; for everyone involved as Discovery is set to take over the beleaguered news organization.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable\">Chris Cuomo was fired last year by then-network president Jeff Zucker after he was caught helping his big brother, ex-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, fend off sexual misconduct allegations without ever telling his audience or management the full story. Then Zucker was forced out, and his top lieutenant and girlfriend Allison Gollust has been shown the door. Now there is speculation swirling around the media industry that all three plan to sue.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>CNN\u2019s in-house media pundit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/stelter-responds-to-zucker-gollust-relationship-with-gov-cuomo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brian Stelter<\/a> rattled off CNN\u2019s laundry list of recent issues related to the Cuomo-Zucker ordeal on Sunday before finally admitting what many observers have been thinking.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is a legal mess for CNN,&#8221; Stelter said on &#8220;Reliable Sources.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" \/><source media=\"(min-width: 767px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/640\/320\/Chris-Cuomo-Gollust-Zucker.jpg?ve=1&#038;tl=1\" alt=\"Chris Cuomo, Allison Gollust and Jeff Zucker could cause significant problem for a looming merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery.\u00a0\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p>\n      Chris Cuomo, Allison Gollust and Jeff Zucker could cause significant problem for a looming merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery.\u00a0<br \/>\n      <span class=\"copyright\">(CNN\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The &#8220;legal mess&#8221; comes as Discovery Inc. is expected to take control of CNN in the spring following the completion of parent company AT&#038;T spinning off WarnerMedia before it merges with Discovery.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/deja-vu-interim-cnn-boss-amy-entelis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>CNN TURMOIL: D\u00c9J\u00c0 VU FOR INTERIM BOSS AMY ENTELIS AFTER OVERSEEING ABC NEWS&#8217; &#8216;TOXIC&#8217; WORKPLACE FOR YEARS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Justin Danhof, the executive vice president of the National Center for public policy research, is licensed to practice law in New York and Washington, D.C. He said Discovery should ensure it&#8217;s not liable for any lawsuits that pop up as a result of the ongoing public relations nightmare.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If I\u2019m Discovery, I\u2019m not taking on current legal liabilities that may come out of the existence. I\u2019m writing that into the acquisition that, look, AT&#038;T, that\u2019s still on you,&#8221; Danhof told Fox News Digital. &#8220;I\u2019m sure their lawyers are negotiating all of that right now.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Discovery did not immediately respond to a request for comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Zucker\u2019s forced resignation was\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/jeff-zucker-cnn-failing-to-disclose-consensual-relationship-colleague-i-was-wrong\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">initially chalked up<\/a>\u00a0as a consensual relationship with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/allison-gollust-resigns-cnn-jeff-zucker\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gollust<\/a>\u00a0that was never disclosed to the company. CNN staffers and outside observers alike never bought that explanation, as their relationship was said to be an &#8220;open secret&#8221; throughout the media industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Jeff and Allison have been in a relationship for many years, everyone knew \u2026 If they really cared [about] it, he would have been fired ages ago,&#8221; a source close to the situation told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n<p>WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar has since admitted Cuomo, Zucker and Gollust all breached the network\u2019s &#8220;journalism integrity&#8221;\u00a0by violating news standards and practices. However, nobody from WarnerMedia has explained what Zucker and Gollust did to violate company policies related directly to news.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>On Friday, The New York Times and Wall Street Journal each published different reports attempting to shine light on Gollust\u2019s forced exit. The Times reported WarnerMedia executives found her claim that her relationship with Zucker changed during the pandemic was misleading, while the Times indicated she was forced out for discussing interview topics with the former governor, for whom she briefly served as communications director between 2012 and 2013.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" \/><source media=\"(min-width: 767px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/640\/320\/David-Zaslav.png?ve=1&#038;tl=1\" alt=\"Discovery CEO David Zaslav has said that he had nothing to do with Jeff Zucker\u2019s CNN exit.\u00a0\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p>\n      Discovery CEO David Zaslav has said that he had nothing to do with Jeff Zucker\u2019s CNN exit.\u00a0<br \/>\n      <span class=\"copyright\">(CNBC Screenshot)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/cnn-mourns-jeff-zucker-disaster-everywhere\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><u>CNN MOURNS SCANDAL-PLAGUED ZUCKER AS MEDIA INSIDERS QUESTION WORSHIP: &#8216;HE\u2019S A DISASTER EVERYWHERE HE GOES&#8217;<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Risa Heller, a spokesperson for both Zucker and Gollust, has since issued statements indicating Gollust could sue WarnerMedia for &#8220;retaliatory actions against her.&#8221; Meanwhile, when explaining that CNN has a &#8220;legal mess&#8221; on its hands, Stelter also suggested Zucker is &#8220;lawyered up,&#8221; preventing him from commenting further. To add to the mess, Cuomo is seeking $20 million, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/media\/cnn-chris-cuomo-arbitration-case\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>reporting by FOX Business<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They all had contracts, right? It can get very messy and very sticky because when you see, like, this person&#8217;s going to get a $9 million payout, but this [other] person isn&#8217;t going to get anything, that creates a lot of discrepancies,&#8221; Danhof said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Danhof explained that if WarnerMedia attempts to use &#8220;moral clauses&#8221; to avoid paying Cuomo, Zucker or Gollust what they feel they are owed, it could result in an &#8220;airing of grievances&#8221; that could be particularly damning for CNN.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I think that&#8217;s what Stelter may be getting at,&#8221; Danhof said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/chris-cuomo-despised-figure-cnn-fallout\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><u>CHRIS CUOMO A \u2018DESPISED FIGURE\u2019 WITHIN CNN AT THIS POINT AS FALLOUT CONTINUES OVER HIS FIRING: INSIDER<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If that comes to a head, and they&#8217;re in court or in legal proceedings and talking about the issues of morality\u2026 one could look and say, \u2018Chris was just helping his brother, but what Zucker did \u2026 was worse,\u2019 right? That&#8217;s where it can get messy. Defining morality is always a mess.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>WarnerMedia did not immediately respond to a request for comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Cornell Law School professor William A. Jacobson agrees and said WarnerMedia should do whatever it takes to keep additional dirt from becoming public information.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;CNN seems to have tons of dirty laundry, and we&#8217;ve only seen the top of the pile. It would be disruptive to the newsroom and executive suite for depositions and document discovery to take place, with the likelihood of damaging information coming out. It may also cause others to sue,&#8221; Jacobson told Fox News Digital.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>HR Acuity\u00a0CEO Deb Muller, who has worked in human resources for over three decades, feels that Zucker was a problem for CNN\u2019s parent company, even if his only offense was failing to disclose his relationship with Gollust. She said that if a high-powered executive like Zucker &#8220;can\u2019t be trusted to follow the policies in place,&#8221; then nobody at the network should be expected to follow WarnerMedia\u2019s rules. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is an issue with the company\u2019s culture. A company\u2019s culture is enabling actions like this to happen,&#8221; Muller told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Company policies are there for a reason; to protect individual employees as well as the company itself. In CNN\u2019s case, because the relationship wasn\u2019t reported, there could be additional actions taken against the company not only by the individuals in question, but by other employees,&#8221; Muller continued. &#8220;What happened at CNN is an example of why company cultures need\u00a0to change to establish trust and transparency for a safe working environment.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Danhof feels that WarnerMedia executives must have known about Zucker\u2019s relationship with Gollust and whatever truly forced him out would come out in court \u2013 and it&#8217;s already established he violated WarnerMedia\u2019s news standards and practices.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Discovery is taking a really big gamble, in my estimation,&#8221; Danhof said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" \/><source media=\"(min-width: 767px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/640\/320\/Zucker-CNN-building.jpg?ve=1&#038;tl=1\" alt=\"WarnerMedia initially claimed Jeff Zucker was forced out because of a consensual sexual relationship, but since admitted he also violated the network\u2019s \" journalism integrity \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p>\n      WarnerMedia initially claimed Jeff Zucker was forced out because of a consensual sexual relationship, but since admitted he also violated the network\u2019s &#8220;journalism integrity.&#8221; (Getty images)<br \/>\n      <span class=\"copyright\">(Getty images \u00a0| \u00a0REUTERS\/Brendan McDermid\/File Photo)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The New Yorker <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/news\/annals-of-communications\/cnns-problems-are-bigger-than-jeff-zucker\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported on Saturday<\/a> that Discovery CEO David Zaslav, who will run the combined company and is expected to immediately name Zucker\u2019s full-time replacement, will have to make significant cuts once he takes control.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/allison-gollust-resigns-cnn-jeff-zucker\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><u>ALLISON GOLLUST RESIGNS FROM CNN FOLLOWING JEFF ZUCKER OUSTER<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There\u2019s going to be an enormous amount of pain in terms of firing people,&#8221; a person with close industry ties told the magazine.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>CNN staffers were on edge even before looming layoffs were reported after Liberty Media chairman John Malone, who sits on the Discovery Communications Inc. board of directors and is considered powerful in the industry,\u00a0suggested last year that changes would be made to CNN\u2019s newsroom.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Porter Bibb, who wrote CNN founder Ted Turner\u2019s 1993 biography, <a href=\"https:\/\/theankler.com\/p\/ted-turner-biographer-john-malonespeaks?utm_source=url\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">recently said<\/a> the network\u2019s founder was also &#8220;adamantly&#8221; against the partisan turn it took under Zucker. While Danhof feels Discovery is taking a major gamble, he also thinks there is a huge opportunity to restore CNN to the pre-Zucker days of nonpartisan news.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If Discovery is smart, they\u2019ll transition CNN back to what it was decades ago,&#8221; Danhof said. &#8220;It\u2019s a gamble, but an opportunity to course correct that I hope they take. With the ratings where they are this is a financial nightmare \u2026 If they&#8217;re going to bring CNN on and keep CNN as it is, they&#8217;re making a terrible business decision.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/apps-products\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><u>CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>CNN media analyst David Zurawik, who was recently hired by the network, suggested it might not ever regain its reputation.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I hope it doesn\u2019t wind up leaving CNN a badly damaged institution,&#8221; Zurawik said on Sunday. &#8220;This could damage CNN \u2026 That would be a journalistic tragedy.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The ongoing saga surrounding CNN is a &#8220;legal mess&#8221; for everyone involved as Discovery is set to take over the beleaguered news &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1325666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1325666","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1325666"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1325666\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1325666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1325666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1325666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}