Chris Cuomo cites Lemon, Tapper, Stelter in $125M demand against CNN, says ex-colleagues 'disparaged' him

Former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo is using remarks made by his ex-colleagues, including his former primetime bestie Don Lemon, in his explosive $125 million arbitration demand against the network.

Cuomo was initially suspended by CNN for revelations of his involvement in aiding his brother, then-Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, but was subsequently fired after the network learned about a 2005 sexual assault allegation from a former ABC News colleague, which he has repeatedly denied. 

The arbitration demand calls his firing an "unlawful termination" and that WarnerMedia's claim that the former "Cuomo Prime Time" host violated the network’s news standards and practices is "false." 

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Among many other charges, the filing accuses CNN of "disparaging" Cuomo in violation of his employment agreement with the network. 

"Both before and after CNN’s unjustifiable termination of Cuomo, CNN has repeatedly violated its covenant in Cuomo’s Employment Agreement that CNN would ‘make reasonable efforts to instruct its employees not to make any intentionally disparaging comments regarding [Cuomo] in the context of [Cuomo’s] business and professional activities,’ (Agreement, § 11(e).) CNN’s failure to undertake reasonable efforts to instruct its employees not to make intentionally disparaging comments regarding Cuomo is underscored by the volume and frequency of such disparaging comments," the filing read. 

Cuomo's legal team claimed CNN "allowed its employees to publicly slam Cuomo even before CNN took any steps to discipline him," citing remarks CNN anchor Jake Tapper made in May 2021 when he said during an interview that he "cannot imagine a world in which anyone in journalism thinks that [Cuomo’s assistance to Gov. Cuomo] was appropriate." Tapper also claimed Cuomo put CNN "in a bad spot." In addition, the filing quotes anonymous CNN staffers who spoke to media outlets in the months leading up to his termination. 

"It is important to emphasize that the claims in these comments that Cuomo was ‘working to discredit’ any of Gov. Cuomo’s accusers and that Cuomo was ‘actively affecting’ the Gov. Cuomo news story are, as demonstrated by the contents of the NYAG report, absolutely false," the filing states. "And those false claims represent the kind of media sensationalism and misleading narratives that influenced CNN’s rush to judgment and its caving to public commentary in wrongfully terminating Cuomo."

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The filing quoted Tapper again, this time from leaked remarks from a D.C. Bureau meeting with WarnerMedia chief Jason Kilar following the exit of CNN president Jeff Zucker, claiming Tapper "went on to say Cuomo had hired a lawyer who seemed eager to leak damaging information about Mr. Zucker unless CNN gave him severance, saying, ‘An outside observer might say, ‘Well, it looks like Chris Cuomo succeeded.’ . . . He threatened Jeff [Zucker]. Jeff said we don’t negotiate with terrorists. And Chris [Cuomo] blew the place up. How do we get past the perception that this is the bad guy winning?’" 

Cuomo's legal team even cited a report that Tapper "appeared to be gunning for" Cuomo's vacant timeslot. It was later reported that Tapper was not interested in moving into primetime. 

The filing pointed to numerous comments made by CNN's media correspondent Brian Stelter, who was serving as a de facto spokesperson for the network during the network's scandals. 

Stelter said Cuomo "was not going out quietly," which the filing claims is a suggestion Cuomo "would seek vengeance for his termination." Stelter also cited an anonymous CNN source who told him Cuomo was "trying to burn the place down." 

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In another instances, Stelter asserted Cuomo "violated journalistic ethics and norms not once or twice, but many times," accusing his former colleague of "acting like an unpaid staffer" for Gov. Cuomo and "was in the virtual war room trying to defend his brother in ways that were journalistically improper."

Stelter said "there were just so many headaches time and time again," adding "CNN staffers very unhappy with the situation."

The filing quotes CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, who told Stephen Colbert in an interview, "[J]ournalists have strict ethics and strict rules that we are to abide by, and if you don’t abide by them, there are repercussions."

Notably, the filing also takes aim at Don Lemon, who was once Cuomo's primetime pal as the two of them became known for their overly-friendly and conversational handoffs, which inspired its own CNN podcast. They frequently expressed their adoration for each other on-air. 

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But Lemon appeared to turn on Cuomo during a meeting with his WarnerMedia boss following Zucker's ouster. 

"Did you think about what message it sends to the journalists in the company and also to the larger public that someone can be found to break with those journalistic standards and then get paid handsomely for it?" Lemon asked Kilar last month. 

Also swept up in the filing is CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy, who tweeted in May 2021, "The revelation that Cuomo had advised his brother during strategy sessions has vexed staffers inside CNN. Multiple CNN staffers told me they were bothered by Cuomo’s conduct and the violation of traditional journalistic standards."

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"Clearly, if CNN head Jeff Zucker was widely spreading disparaging remarks about Cuomo, there was no effort by CNN to instruct any of its lower-ranked employees not to disparage him. Instead, in an attempt to restore its scandal-worn image, CNN launched a campaign to scapegoat Cuomo and to destroy his public image," the filing stated. "CNN repeatedly breached its agreement with Cuomo, and Cuomo has suffered untold damage to his personal and professional reputation. As a direct result of CNN’s calculated efforts to tar and feather him, Cuomo is now untouchable in the world of broadcast journalism, effectively bringing his storied career to a premature end and costing him decades of earnings, exceeding $125 million in consequential damages."

A spokesman for CNN declined to comment. 

"It should by now be obvious that Chris Cuomo did not lie to CNN about helping his brother. In fact, as the limited information released from WarnerMedia’s investigation makes clear, CNN’s highest-level executive not only knew about Chris’s involvement in helping his brother but also actively assisted the Governor, both through Chris and directly themselves. As CNN has admitted, network standards were changed in a calculated decision to boost ratings. When those practices were called into question, Chris was made the scapegoat," attorney Bryan Freedman told Fox News Digital. 

"The legal action filed today makes clear that CNN wrongfully terminated Chris and further violated the express terms of his employment agreement by allowing its employees to disparage him," Freedman continued. "Chris is owed a full apology from those responsible."

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The "highest-level executive" referred to by Freedman is recently ousted CNN boss Jeff Zucker, who also violated CNN’s new standards and practices, according to WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar.

Cuomo was CNN’s most-watched host until the network fired him in December after he generated negative publicity for months. Beginning with his controversial, cozy interviews of his brother at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, the "Cuomo Prime Time" host’s ethical lapses began to pile up. 

WarnerMedia’s third-party probe into CNN’s handling of the "issues" associated with Chris Cuomo and his big brother found that Cuomo, Zucker and fellow CNN executive Allison Gollust all violated company policies related directly to news. Zucker was forced to resign in February for his role weeks after he fired Cuomo, and Gollust exited the company later the same month. 

Zucker and Gollust both declined comment when reached by Fox News Digital.

WarnerMedia has not said what Zucker specifically did to violate standards and practices. Zucker is not listed as a respondent on Cuomo’s arbitration request. 

"As a result of Turner’s indefensible choice to unceremoniously fire him, Cuomo has been damaged in countless ways," the filing stated. "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 the Agreement, but future wages lost as a result of CNN’s efforts to destroy his reputation in violation of the Agreement."

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Parent company WarnerMedia declined comment when reached by Fox News Digital. 

Fox News' Brian Flood contributed to this report.