Chris Cuomo Allegedly Gearing Up To Sue CNN Over $6 Million-A-Year Contract Following Termination
Dec. 6 2021, Published 5:23 p.m. ET
Chris Cuomo is apparently not willing to go down without a fight.
The 51-year-old recently terminated CNN news anchor is gearing up to sue the network over his contract, sources familiar with the situation told The New York Post on Monday.
Insiders say Chris has already hired a legal team and is preparing to file a massive lawsuit against his former employer if it does not honor the remainder of the four-year contract he signed in 2020.
The deal is reportedly worth $6 million per year.
But CNN has "no intention of paying [Chris] Cuomo a penny," a source told the outlet. "If he gets a settlement, there would be uproar."
Another insider pointed out the network "has a standard morality clause in their contract that says if the employee does anything of disrepute, they can be immediately fired."
Chris' purported legal threats come amid a bitter back-and-forth about what exactly CNN executives knew regarding his secret efforts to aid his embattled brother, then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
The former Cuomo Prime Time host was officially ousted Saturday, only four days after being put on indefinite suspension over information that was revealed by state Attorney General Letitia James.
James spearheaded an investigation into the numerous sexual harassment allegations that forced Andrew to resign back in August, and the resulting report accused Chris of using his position and contacts to help cover up the scandal.
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CNN announced Chris' firing, revealing executives had discovered documents that pointed to the journalist's "greater level of involvement in his brother's efforts than we previously knew." They accused him of contacting "sources" about planned news reports regarding Andrew's misdeeds and trying to dig up dirt on at least one of his brother's accusers.
"Chris Cuomo was suspended earlier this week pending further evaluation of new information that came to light about his involvement with his brother's defense," CNN said in a statement. "We retained a respected law firm to conduct the review, and have terminated him, effective immediately."
The network added, "While in the process of that review, additional information has come to light. Despite the termination, we will investigate as appropriate."
That statement was made right before news broke that Chris was also being investigated for accusations of sexual misconduct made by an anonymous former female colleague.
Regarding the new allegation, his spokesperson insisted that "these apparently anonymous allegations are not true."
Regarding what led to his termination, the rep told The Wall Street Journal that CNN President Jeff Zucker knew "about the details of Mr. Cuomo's support for his brother" and that "there were no secrets about this, as other individuals besides Mr. Cuomo can attest."
CNN blasted its ex-host for the remark, saying in a statement, "He has made a number of accusations that are patently false. This reinforces why he was terminated for violating our standards and practices, as well as his lack of candor."
On Monday, a network insider told The Post that Chris' claims were "absurd" and "patently untrue."
"If Jeff had known all along, Chris would have been fired earlier, not suspended," said the source. "He lied to us."
