CBS owner Paramount is reportedly nearing a settlement with President Donald Trump over his claim that 60 Minutes "deceptively manipulated" a pre-election interview with Kamala Harris.
Trump's complaint, filed against Paramount and CBS in a federal court in Texas, seeks at least $20 billion in damages. The lawsuit has been widely described as frivolous, but it appears that Paramount is motivated to settle the case while it seeks the Trump administration's approval for a merger with Skydance.
Reports published yesterday by the Los Angeles Times and New York Times say that Paramount is ready to settle. "In an April 18 meeting, the Paramount board outlined acceptable financial terms for a potential settlement with the president, according to three people with knowledge of the internal discussions," the NYT wrote. "The exact dollar amounts remain unclear, but the board's move clears a path for an out-of-court resolution."
The Paramount board "acted to provide clear guidance to lawyers who will be representing them during the mediation process," the Los Angeles Times wrote. With mediation sessions set to begin today, the newspaper said its sources indicate "the company is eager to put the 60 Minutes controversy behind it so that it can move forward with its sale to David Ellison's Skydance Media."
We contacted Paramount and will update this article if it provides comment.
To complete the merger, Paramount needs Federal Communications Commission approval to transfer TV broadcast station licenses to Skydance. The Biden-era FCC dismissed a complaint filed by a conservative group against CBS about the Harris interview, but Chairman Brendan Carr revived that complaint a couple of days after Trump appointed him to lead the commission.
“A payoff to the president”
Carr is using the FCC's rarely enforced news distortion policy to investigate CBS and has said the probe is a factor in the FCC's review of the Paramount/Skydance merger. While the complaint and merger review are ostensibly separate from Trump's lawsuit against Paramount and CBS, it wouldn't be surprising if a settlement with Trump helps Paramount in both FCC proceedings.
0 تعليق