Trump legal team, Paramount mull proposal for CBS to run free ads to break quagmire over $20B lawsuit: sources
A proposal to break the legal quagmire between CBS News parent Paramount and President Trump involves the Tiffany Network running millions of dollars in public service ads for causes that appeal to the administration, On The Money has learned.
The idea was floated in recent days by people involved in the explosive legal dispute as part of a long anticipated settlement, sources said.
The PSAs would involve Paramount's CBS news subsidiary — the defendant in Trump's controversial $20 billion lawsuit — running what would be paid ads across its platforms that address issues such as the rise of antisemitism in American society that followed the Oct. 7 massacre of Jews by Hamas terrorists, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter.
4 Paramount and the White House are in mediation over Trump's lawsuit against the media giant over alleged deceptive editing of a '60 Minutes' interview with Kamala Harris.
60 Minutes / CBS
The spots would also promote issues that support US veterans, these people add. Sources close to the matter say the Trump legal team likes the idea. It's unclear if the Paramount legal team is supportive.
Reps for Paramount and the White House declined comment. The two sides are in mediation over Trump's lawsuit against the media giant over alleged deceptive editing of a '60 Minutes' interview with Kamala Harris.
In order for the mediator in the case to consider the proposal and make it part of the bargaining discussions, both sides need to officially vet the idea and get a sign-off from management.
The settlement plan comes as parties involved seek common ground to bring the litigation to an end. Trump has taken steps to stamp out antisemitism, particularly on college campuses, since returning to the White House.
Paramount's controlling shareholder Shari Redstone also has spoken out against antisemitism since Oct. 7 and has even been critical of how CBS has covered the matter.
As On The Money first reported, Redstone is willing to pay Trump up to $50 million to settle the matter and get a deal done.
4 The settlement plan comes as parties involved seek common ground to bring the litigation to an end. Trump has taken steps to stamp out antisemitism, particularly on college campuses.
FRANCIS CHUNG/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
She has so far recused herself from the negotiations, leaving the decision-making to her senior management team.
But management has been hesitant to reach a deal that involves handing over significant cash to Trump, worried that such a large payment could run afoul of anti-bribery laws since his appointed head of the Federal Communications Commission still needs to approve the Skydance deal, On The Money previously reported.
Aside from the high-stakes legal tussle, the lawsuit is also seen as a key impediment to getting the Trump administration to approve a plan by the media heiress to sell the company to independent studio Skydance for $8 billion.
4 Shari Redstone is willing to pay Trump up to $50 million to settle the matter and get a deal done.
Getty Images
FCC chair Brendan Carr is probing whether CBS broke 'public interest' rules that govern the use of public airwaves (as opposed to cable) by exhibiting left-wing bias in its news programming. The Harris interview is a focal point of the investigation that has delayed the deal indefinitely.
If approved, however, Redstone would walk away with $2 billion and preserve some of the wealth left to her by her late father, media-merger king Sumner Redstone.
The controversy over the lawsuit – and the possibility of a settlement with Trump – has roiled CBS in recent weeks. CBS News chief Wendy McMahon resigned earlier this month, saying, 'It's become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward.'
4 If the deal is approved, Redstone would walk away with $2 billion and preserve some of the wealth left to her by her late father, media-merger king Sumner Redstone.
Christopher Sadowski
In April, '60 Minutes' boss Bill Owens quit, citing increased pressure from senior management over his programming.
Sources said Trump's legal team wants a settlement along the lines of what it received from Disney's ABC, which he sued for libel. ABC made a payment of $16 million and issued an apology for misstating the facts surrounding a civil judgment against Trump.
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