Chris Cuomo Sues CNN for $125M, Alleges Unjustified Firing

After months of legal anticipation following his December 21 firing from CNN by Jeff Zucker, Chris Cuomo filed a $125 million lawsuit against CNN on Wednesday, March 16.

In the arbitration brief, first obtained by Deadline, the Southampton resident lashed out at his former CNN colleague Don Lemon of Sag Harbor, saying he once violated CNN rules but got away with it.

According to TV Newser, in his arbitration demand filing, Cuomo also alleges his firing was unjustified and that Zucker did not abide by the terms of his contract by “future wages lost as a result of CNN’s efforts to destroy his reputation in violation of the agreement.”

In addition, WaPo reports that Bryan Freedman, the powerful Hollywood litigator who is representing Cuomo, went on to argue that CNN made Cuomo “the scapegoat” of a broader scandal over CNN’s dealings with the Cuomo brothers. The firing alleges the law firms CNN hired to investigate Chris’s role in advising his brother, former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, and a subsequent allegation of sexual misconduct that surfaced in a December 1 letter, failed to give him an opportunity to explain what happened or address the allegations, which he claims are false, Reuters reports.