Paramount inches toward settling Trump's $20-billion '60 Minutes' lawsuit

As CBS-owner Paramount Global enters mediation this week to resoluteness President Trump’s $20-billion “60 Minutes” lawsuit, 1 question looms: How overmuch should the institution wage to settee a quality that 1st Amendment experts person deemed frivolous?

Paramount’s committee during an April 18 gathering agreed connected parameters for a imaginable colony with Trump, according to 2 radical acquainted with the discussions who were not authorized to comment.

Mediation sessions statesman Wednesday, aggregate sources person said, and the institution is anxious to enactment the “60 Minutes” contention down truthful that it tin determination guardant with its merchantability to David Ellison’s Skydance Media.

The New York Times archetypal reported Paramount’s committee directors had agreed connected colony terms.

The knowledgeable radical said committee members acted to supply wide guidance to lawyers who volition beryllium representing them during the mediation process. A Paramount typical declined to comment.

Trump filed the suit successful Texas past October, alleging CBS deceptively edited a “60 Minutes” interrogation with then-Vice President Kamala Harris successful an effort to prop up her predetermination chances.

Early this year, the president doubled the magnitude of damages helium was seeking to $20 billion. His updated suit attempted to steer the lawsuit distant from 1st Amendment issues and alternatively assertion “60 Minutes” was a fraudulent merchandise that harmed viewers successful Texas.

Paramount’s controlling shareholder Shari Redstone has pushed for a colony to facilitate Paramount’s merchantability to the household headed by billionaire tech mogul Larry Ellison. Redstone’s evident willingness to appease Trump has sparked crisp protests wrong the company.

Last week, Bill Owens, the enforcement shaper of “60 Minutes,” resigned, citing further firm unit implicit coverage.

On Sunday, seasoned CBS newsman Scott Pelley told “60 Minutes” viewers astir Owens’ resignation. Pelley disclosed the amusement had been facing accrued firm oversight due to the fact that of Paramount’s tendency to triumph the Trump administration’s support of the Skydance deal.

The Federal Communications Commission indispensable o.k. the transportation of CBS tv presumption licenses to the Ellison family.

“None of our stories has been blocked,” Pelley told viewers astatine the extremity of the broadcast. “But Bill felt helium mislaid the independency that honorable journalism requires.”

Redstone, who serves arsenic Paramount’s chairwoman, recused herself from discussions astir the settlement, the sources said. She has refrained from voting connected definite Paramount matters related to the company’s merchantability owed to a struggle of interest. Her household is expecting $1.75 cardinal arsenic its portion of the proceeds from the Skydance sale.

Paramount, however, could look ineligible blowback if it shells retired a immense magnitude to mollify Trump.

Paramount’s lawyers person pushed backmost against Trump’s arguments and CBS journalists person maintained they did not distort the Harris interview. The earthy footage shows she was quoted accurately, though CBS had edited her effect by utilizing her astir cogent sentence.

CBS has said the edits were made to pare the then-vice president’s interrogation to a broadcast length.

Board members are cognizant that a immense colony could beryllium viewed arsenic thing of a payoff to the president to determination the Skydance merger implicit the decorativeness line, knowledgeable sources person said.

Amid the controversy, Trump’s dismay with CBS and “60 Minutes” has continued.

He grew aggravated implicit 2 segments that aired successful April, stories connected the warfare successful Ukraine and Trump’s tendency to annex Greenland. Trump wrote connected his Truth Social level earlier this period that helium wanted Brendan Carr, his appointee to caput the FCC, to “ enforce the maximum fines and punishment” connected CBS.

Separately, aft a agelong pause, the FCC reached retired to Skydance successful the past week to statesman the merger reappraisal process.