The parent company of CBS News is preparing for mediation in President Donald Trump's lawsuit against the network — and may be open to settling, according to a new report in The New York Times.
Lawyers for Trump and Paramount plan to begin mediation on Wednesday over the lawsuit, brought by Trump accusing “60 Minutes” of airing a deceptively edited interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Legal experts widely consider the case weak, but the company’s board has discussed possible financial terms, according to the report. Controlling shareholder Shari Redstone supports settling with Trump, partly due to a pending sale of Paramount to Skydance that requires approval from the Trump administration.
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Redstone has recused herself from decisions about the lawsuit, the Times noted.
A possible settlement has alarmed staffers at “60 Minutes,” with executive producer Bill Owens abruptly resigning following the board’s April 18 meeting, citing corporate interference and that Paramount “is done with me.”
Correspondent Scott Pelley used the show’s broadcast to highlight Owens’s resignation and accused Paramount of infringing upon their journalistic independence.