Former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo held no punches in its explosive $125 million arbitration demand against the network, pointing to controversies that have plagued ex-colleagues as proof of “selective” enforcement of its policies.
CNN has faced utter turmoil over the past several months that stemmed from Cuomo’s involvement in aiding his brother, then-Democratic New York Gov. andrew-cuomo” target=”_blank”>Andrew Cuomo< and executive vice president Allison Gollust, who both resigned after failing to disclose their consensual relationship.
Reports also revealed that both Zucker and Gollust aided Gov. Cuomo in the early months of the pandemic to combat then-President Trump on the national stage.
“CNN has a long-established pattern and practice of selectively enforcing its policies based on cynical calculations of public perception,” the filing on Wednesday read. “Indeed, CNN fostered a culture in which ‘exceptions’ to the network’s standards and practices were routinely sanctioned, and that culture began at the top with Zucker and Gollust. As long as CNN’s ratings would not be hurt, Zucker and Gollust were more than willing to overlook major transgressions by CNN personalities such as Don Lemon and Jake Tapper, or even to engage in blatant misconduct themselves.”
Chris Cuomo, Allison Gollust and Jeff Zucker could cause significant problem for a looming merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery.
(CNN/Getty Images)
“For example, in November 2021, CNN anchor Don Lemon was widely criticized for a flagrant breach of journalistic ethics when actor Jussie Smollett testified at trial that Lemon had texted him to warn him that Chicago police did not believe Smollett’s allegations of suffering a racist, homophobic attack,” Cuomo’s legal team argued. “Lemon had covered Smollett’s accusations and his subsequent investigation and prosecution, so intervening in the ongoing investigation by texting Smollett was an inexcusable breach of ethics. Yet CNN did nothing; Lemon was not disciplined in any way.”
“Similarly, in October 2020, CNN’s chief political analyst, Jeffrey Toobin, was suspended and fired by The New Yorker, where he also served as a staff writer, after he masturbated while on a video call with colleagues,” the filing continued. “Despite this sordid act of sexual harassment, CNN took no disciplinary action against Toobin; instead, CNN permitted Toobin to take a seven-month ‘hiatus’ to “deal with a personal issue.” CNN later allowed Toobin to return to work without even issuing a public apology.”
CHRIS CUOMO SEEKS $125 MILLION FROM CNN IN EXPLOSIVE ARBITRATION DEMAND
The filing then took aim at CNN anchor Jake Tapper, who was caught urging GOP congressional candidate Sean Parnell to not run against Democratic Rep. Conor Lamb but instead run in a “safer” red district, referring to it as a “troubling incident.”
“Tapper reportedly repeated this advice in a phone call, text messages, and direct Twitter messages, one of which Fox News obtained and published,” the filing read. “After the story broke, Tapper reportedly reached out to Parnell repeatedly asking him to make a joint statement to clear Tapper’s name of this obvious breach of journalistic ethics. CNN conducted no inquiry and imposed no disciplinary measures on Tapper.”
Former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo accused his ex-employer of being "selective" when it comes to its employees violating policies, pointing to controversies that have plagued CNN stars Don Lemon, Jake Tapper and Jeffrey Toobin.
“In each of the above-described incidents, CNN allowed employees to retain their jobs for offenses much more egregious than anything CNN alleges Cuomo ever did. But because Cuomo was so strongly linked to Gov. Cuomo, whose political standing and corresponding value to CNN had turned dramatically, CNN falsely claimed that Cuomo violated its policies and practices as an excuse to terminate his contract,” the filing stated. “This is the epitome of hypocrisy, as there was no valid basis for terminating his contract.”
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“CNN’s ‘standards and practices’ were in fact so vague and ill-defined that they provided no guidance whatsoever to employees. The network’s policy guide made clear that it did not seek to create hardline rules, but that appropriate conduct varied according to each unique set of circumstances. Above all, the guide emphasized that employees should consult their supervisors to determine how to proceed—exactly as Cuomo did,” the filing added.
CNN and WarnerMedia have declined requests for comment. Zucker and Gollust also declined comment when reached by Fox News Digital.
Cuomo’s arbitration demand is the latest chapter showing how the former anchor’s relationship with CNN has soured, particularly with Don Lemon.
Former CNN besties Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo.
(REUTERS/Mike Segar | Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images Getty )
Lemon was once Cuomo’s primetime bestie as the two of them became known for their overly-friendly and conversational handoffs, which inspired its own CNN podcast. They frequently expressed their adoration for each other on-air.
But Lemon appeared to turn on Cuomo during a meeting with his WarnerMedia boss following Zucker’s ouster.
ALLISON GOLLUST RESIGNS FROM CNN FOLLOWING JEFF ZUCKER OUSTER
“Did you think about what message it sends to the journalists in the company and also to the larger public that someone can be found to break with those journalistic standards and then get paid handsomely for it?” Lemon asked Kilar last month.
Lemon’s disparaging comments were cited, along with Jake Tapper, Anderson Cooper and Brian Stelter, as examples of CNN launching a “smear campaign” against Cuomo, which his lawyers say violate the network’s employment agreement with the now-fired anchor.
Former CNN primetime anchor Chris Cuomo.
(Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
Cuomo has always maintained that he was wrongfully terminated and that his conduct in helping his brother was no secret among his bosses at CNN.
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“It should by now 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 executive not only knew about Chris’s involvement in helping his brother but also actively assisted the Governor, both through Chris and directly themselves. As CNN has admitted, network standards were changed in a calculated decision to boost ratings. When those practices were called into question, Chris was made the scapegoat,” attorney Bryan Freedman told Fox News Digital.
“The legal action filed today makes clear that CNN wrongfully terminated Chris and further violated the express terms of his employment agreement by allowing its employees to disparage him,” Freedman continued. “Chris is owed a full apology from those responsible.”
Fox News’ Brian Flood contributed to this report.
