Imus Will Sue CBS for $40 Mil Left on Contract

Shock jock Won't Go Quietly
By J. Kelman,  Newser User
Posted May 2, 2007 5:00 PM CDT
Imus Will Sue CBS for $40 Mil Left on Contract
Radio personality Don Imus appears on Rev. Al Sharpton's radio show, in New York in this April 9, 2007, file photo. Both NBC and CBS fired Imus from their respective television and radio shows for his onair comments about the Rutgers University women's basketball team. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)   (Associated Press)

Don Imus is off the airwaves but not finished fighting: He's hired First Amendment attorney Martin Garbus to help him sue CBS. Sources tell Fortune that Imus's five-year, $50 million contract guaranteed him a warning before his routinely foul mouth got him fired; without it, he may be owed the $40 mil left on the deal.

Garbus's job is to make the case that "nappy-headed hos" does not qualify as profanity, which is prohibited by the FCC. If he fails, CBS can bank the $40 million. The lawsuit is expected to be filed with a month; the I-Man is said to be taking the summer off before making his next move. (More Don Imus stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X