Chris Cuomo wants $125 million for ‘unlawful’ CNN firing

NEW YORK (AP) — Chris Cuomo desires an arbitrator to award him $125 million for his firing from CNN, alleging his bosses realized full effectively how he recommended his brother, previous New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and advised they did the identical on their own.

His filing seeking arbitration on Wednesday exposed far more ugliness at the community, where by Cuomo, CNN main Jeff Zucker and his top deputy, Allison Gollust, have all been ousted in the previous 3 months.

Zucker fired Cuomo, host of the network’s most well-known key time demonstrate, in December just after a New York Legal professional General’s report publicly exposed new particulars about how he served his brother strategize to combat sexual harassment allegations.

“It really should be clear by now that Chris Cuomo did not lie to CNN about serving to his brother,” mentioned his lawyer, Bryan Freedman. “In reality, as the minimal data unveiled from Warner Media’s investigation would make clear, CNN’s optimum-degree executives not only understood about Chris’ involvement in aiding his brother but also actively assisted the governor, both equally as a result of Chris and specifically by themselves.”

There was no comment Wednesday from a agent for Zucker and Gollust. The spokeswoman, Risa Heller, has denied in the earlier that Gollust, a former press aide to Gov. Cuomo, offered assistance or counsel to the governor even though she worked at CNN.

CNN declined comment on the filing.

For the duration of the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Chris Cuomo interviewed his huge brother on CNN nine instances — a non permanent carry of the network’s policy that Chris Cuomo not participate in stories relating to the governor.

In his submitting Wednesday, Chris Cuomo mentioned CNN management demanded the interviews even though he and his brother had expressed reservations about them.

He reported that Zucker and Gollust attempted to improve the network’s ties to his brother and pushed the New York governor not to show up on other networks. He claimed they requested the governor maintain his every day briefings at a time CNN’s rankings essential a strengthen.

“Network specifications were modified in a calculated final decision to raise scores,” Freedman mentioned. “When individuals tactics have been termed into question, Chris was manufactured the scapegoat.”

Cuomo also dragged two former colleagues into his grievance, declaring Don Lemon and Jake Tapper were being under no circumstances disciplined for incidents noticed as moral lapses — Lemon texting Jussie Smollett when the actor was accused of creating fake allegations of a racist assault, and Tapper allegedly featuring assistance to a politician.

Networks benchmarks had been “a shifting target,” modified as Zucker and Gollust observed suit, the former “Cuomo Primary Time” host stated in the criticism.

With his journalistic integrity “unjustifiably smeared,” Cuomo will uncover it complicated to obtain operate in his field in the future and seeks damages of $125 million, the criticism mentioned.

Zucker resigned under stress earlier this 12 months immediately after it was exposed he violated corporate techniques by not disclosing his romance with Gollust. She was compelled out shortly thereafter.