Victory! Steve Harvey Wins Bitter Lawsuit Over Racist Rant Tapes
Jan. 27 2017, Published 3:36 p.m. ET
Steve Harvey's reputation won't be dragged through the mud after all! The comedian proved to be victorious this week in his fight to keep image-shattering comedy tapes under wraps, RadarOnline.com has learned.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the nice-guy TV host successfully convinced a Texas jury on Thursday that he hadn't breached his contract with former employee Joseph Cooper, who was hired to tape performances at Harvey's Dallas club in 1993.
"The jury also found that Cooper misappropriated Harvey's name or likeness in attempting to commercially exploit the tapes," the publication reports.
As RadarOnline.com reported, Cooper sued his ex-boss last year, claiming to have caught Harvey's numerous racist rants in tapes containing 120 hours of footage.
"I don’t give a s**t about America!" Harvey allegedly bellowed in one shocking clip, Cooper told RadarOnline.com in November.
On others, Cooper said Harvey urged fans to "spit on white people!" and "go assault old white women!"
After Cooper’s legal claims, Harvey fired back with his own lawsuit, insisting the Dallas man was trying to extort him for $5 million with the potentially damaging recordings.
Meanwhile, Harvey was put on blast after cracking insensitive jokes about Asian men during an episode of his talk show earlier this month. The 60-year-old posted an apology on Twitter soon after the scandal hit, but the damage had already been done.
But now, Cooper has been slammed for misusing the comedian's identity without consent, a jury ruled. According to court documents, the trial was concluded with a settlement agreement.
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