Journalist and former CNN host Chris Cuomo filed an arbitration demand late Wednesday claiming that he is owed at least $125 from the media giant after he was unlawfully fired in December.
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According to Cuomo, CNN exploited his relationship with his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, during the beginning stages of the pandemic, demanding he frequently interview him due to the viewership boosts seen from the segments.
When the governor was accused of sexual harassment by several women who were previously on his administration staff — leading to his eventual resignation in August, Chris Cuomo supported his brother but was made it a point to be transparent with CNN about his role as a confidant and never reported on the allegations.
Chris claims he never sought to influence any journalist reporting on his brother, never “dug up dirt” on any of his brother’s accusers, nor was he dishonest about what he was doing to help his brother. He said his involvement never extended beyond making suggestions on statements the governor made, sharing news coverage and generally acting as a sounding board.
Despite them know these things, Cuomo said the cable news company fired him in December and used an anonymous woman’s unverified allegations of sexual misconduct as a faux reason for the termination.
Chris Cuomo stated the decision to fire him constitutes an “utterly unjustifiable breach” of his employment contract. He said his employer broke its own policies to take advantage of his relationship with his brother and make money on ratings, before making Cuomo the scapegoat when his assistance to his brother became public knowledge. CNN also broke its agreement to make sure other employees didn’t openly disparage Chris, as other primetime hosts Jake Tapper and Brian Stelter publicly criticized Cuomo on air.
“Cuomo has had his journalistic integrity unjustifiably smeared, making it difficult if not impossible for Cuomo to find similar work in the future and damaging him in amounts exceeding $125 million, which includes not only the remaining salary owed under [his employment] agreement, but future wages lost as a result of CNN’s efforts to destroy his reputation,” the demand claims.
An attorney for Chris Cuomo said it is clear that CNN’s executives not only knew about his client’s involvement in helping his brother, but also actively assisted the governor.
“As CNN has admitted, network standards were changed in a calculated decision to boost ratings,” Freedman said. “When those practices were called into question, Chris was made the scapegoat.”
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