Latest news with #TexasDeceptiveTradePracticesAct
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Staffers At CBS News React With Dismay — But Not Surprise — At Paramount Settlement Of Donald Trump's '60 Minutes' Lawsuit
The news that Paramount Global will settle Donald Trump's 60 Minutes lawsuit for $16 million certainly did not come as a shock to staffers at CBS News. For months, there has been a great deal of consternation and even resignation at the prospect of a settlement and the impact that it would have on the news division. More from Deadline Paramount Global's George Cheeks Defends CBS Settlement With Donald Trump - Better Than "Being Mired In Uncertainty And Distraction" Paramount Global Blasted For Settling Donald Trump's '60 Minutes' Lawsuit: "Threatens Journalists' Ability To Do Their Job," WGAE Says Paramount Global Settles Trump Lawsuit Over '60 Minutes' Segment For $16M 'People are not surprised but also disappointed,' one CBS News staffer said on Wednesday. 'There is hope that if the Skydance deal goes through, that could be a fresh start.' CBS News President Tom Cibrowski, in the morning editorial call, noted that the settlement did not include an apology, while urging his team to move forward, per a source. In its announcement of the settlement, Paramount Global also emphasized that there was no apology, as did CBS President and CEO George Cheeks. Over the past few months, CBS News staffers also had emphasized that the pending settlement was something that was out of their control, occurring at the corporate level and having much to do with the circumstances of the pending Paramount Global merger with Skydance Media. In the aftermath, a succession of press freedom groups and other organizations have blasted Paramount Global's decision. Trump sued the network over an Oct. 7 60 Minutes interview with his 2024 rival Kamala Harris, claiming that it was intentionally edited to make her look better and boost her electoral chances. CBS News called the lawsuit meritless, and said that there was no deception, and released the transcript in February. The network published a story about the settlement early Wednesday morning, quoting legal experts who saw the lawsuit as frivolous. Trump claimed a violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, typically used in false advertising and product claims. They included Geoffrey R. Stone, law professor at the University of Chicago, who told the network, 'That statute is about sales — a salesperson can be held liable for stating that a product has certain positive effects when he knows it doesn't. But CBS is not engaged in advertising here.' Within CBS News, there has been some second guessing about how the whole situation could have been handled differently, including that 60 Minutes could have released the transcript of the interview with Kamala Harris much earlier, as some other news organizations routinely do. The settlement did include an agreement that in the future, 60 Minutes 'will release transcripts of interviews with eligible U.S. presidential candidates after such interviews have aired, subject to redactions as required for legal or national security concerns.' As some staffers look to get beyond the whole affair, the legal and corporate aspects are not actually over. A conservative group, the Center for American Rights, filed an FCC complaint over the 60 Minutes broadcast under the agency's news distortion policy. But that has been rarely invoked in the past and under the narrowest of circumstances, while First Amendment attorneys say that the network would have a strong case should it ever come to a fine or other sanction. There is also the merger itself. The FCC passed an informal, 180-day timeline to review the deal, and Chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, has not said when a decision will be rendered. His spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment. Best of Deadline Who Is [SPOILER]? The Latest Big Marvel Reveal Explained 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 'Poker Face' Season 2 Guest Stars: From Katie Holmes To Simon Hellberg
Time of India
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
From $20 billion to $15 million? CBS, Trump very close to settlement of lawsuit over 60 Minutes
The legal battle between US President Donald Trump and CBS over a contentious 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris could soon be over. After months of legal back and forth, both sides are now deep into settlement talks and a deal appears to be on the horizon. President Trump and CBS are in "advanced" settlement negotiations, lawyers informed a judge on Monday. In an attempt to indicate that a settlement might be imminent, the parties asked that all case proceedings be halted until Thursday, July 3, as per a report by Variety. According to the motion, "The Parties respectfully submit that good cause to stay all proceedings exists because the Parties are engaged in good faith, advanced, settlement negotiations.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Dores nos nervos e neuropatia? Esse truque está surpreendendo. A arte do herbalismo Undo ALSO READ: Alligator Alcatraz: Inside the world's deadliest prison surrounded by alligators and pythons - you won't believe it's real What sparked Trump's $20 billion lawsuit against CBS? Donald Trump claims that the segment was deceptively edited. President Trump sued the network for billions and has asked for an apology as well. Live Events President Trump claims that the news program misrepresented an interview with Harris from the campaign last fall. According to earlier reports, the parties were engaged in "active" settlement talks. The lawsuit was filed by Trump and Representative Ronny Jackson under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, which forbids consumer fraud, as per a report by Variety. By providing an edited version of the Harris interview, they have also claimed that CBS unfairly competed with the president's social network, Truth Social. What's been offered in settlement talks so far? The lawsuit sought $20 billion, but CBS has offered up to $15 million, which its own lawyers have called a "meritless assault on the First Amendment." A mediator suggested a $20 million settlement, of which $17 million would go to Trump's presidential foundation, according to a Wall Street Journal story last week. How has CBS responded internally to the lawsuit? Two senior executives, Wendy McMahon and Bill Owens, left CBS as a result of the settlement talks, which have already caused internal strife within the organization. CBS submitted a motion to compel discovery regarding Trump's allegations in April. Both parties are now requesting that all deadlines be postponed until at least Thursday, even though the plaintiffs were given until June 30 to reply. FAQs Why did Donald Trump sue CBS for the 60 Minutes interview? He claims the Harris interview was misrepresented and harmed his reputation, and he also claims unfair competition with his platform, Truth Social. How much is CBS offering to settle for? According to reports, CBS has offered up to $15 million, while an earlier mediation proposal suggested a $20 million deal that primarily benefited Trump's foundation.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Donald Trump Urges Judge Not To Dismiss CBS '60 Minutes' Lawsuit As Paramount And POTUS Teams Talk Settlement
Donald Trump's legal team made its latest filing in his lawsuit against CBS as settlement negotiations continue between network parent Paramount and the president's team. Sources said that an opening offer to Trump has been made, in the eight figures, but that the discussions are still in the early stages. More from Deadline Donald Trump's Tariffs Deemed Unlawful & Blocked By Trade Court; White House Appeals Instantly Elon Musk Bids Farewell As Official Trump Administration Role Comes To An End Fox News Continued To See Audience Growth In May While MSNBC And CNN Posted Double-Digit Declines Vs. 2024 Meanwhile, Trump's team faced a deadline on Wednesday to file a response to CBS' motion to dismiss the lawsuit. Trump sued the network over the way that 60 Minutes edited an interview with Kamala Harris, part of an election special that was broadcast in October. In a preview of the segment that aired on Face the Nation on October 6, Harris was shown giving an answer to a question about Israel-Gaza that was different than the one that was featured on the 60 Minutes broadcast the next day. Trump claimed that the broadcast was deceptive in a way to boost Harris' electoral chances. His amended, $20 billion lawsuit, filed in February, claimed violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and the federal Lanham Act, laws typically used by consumers against false advertising. Trump contended that the interview 'improperly diverted' traffic from his media platforms, including Truth Social. In a motion to dismiss, CBS argued that the 60 Minutes preview and broadcast were not commercial speech, but news programming protected by the First Amendment. The network also has denied that the 60 Minutes edits were deceptive and merely made for time constraints, noting that the first part of Harris' answer was shown on the Face the Nation preview and the second for the show's broadcast. In their latest filing, made overnight to a federal district court in Texas, Trump's legal team argued that determining 'that the First Amendment precludes the instant lawsuit would put the cart before the horse—the First Amendment is no shield to news distortion.' Trump's lawyers wrote that 'because they were misled by Defendants' false advertising and tampering with the entirety of the Interview, viewers withheld attention from President Trump and Truth Social by directing their attention to Defendants' media platforms. This increased Defendants' engagement, viewership, and advertising revenue, and decreased the value of President Trump's ownership in TMTG and other media holdings.' Read Trump's response to CBS in 60 Minutes lawsuit. They further added that Trump 'was forced to re-direct significant time, money, and effort to correcting the public record regarding the content of the Interview and Election Special.' A number of legal experts see the lawsuit as meritless. Katie Couric, the former anchor of CBS Evening News, called it 'bulls—' in a recent interview with Jim Acosta, the former CNN host and correspondent. And based on a transcript of the unedited interview, neither part of Harris' answer is clear. But Paramount Global is seeking Trump administration approval for its merger with Skydance Media, and a settlement of the lawsuit is viewed as a way to secure a green light for the transaction. In his interview with Harris, 60 Minutes correspondent Bill Whitaker asked her why Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not listening to the Biden administration. Harris replied, 'Well, Bill, the work that we have done has resulted in a number of movements in that region by Israel that were very much prompted by, or a result of many things, including our advocacy for what needs to happen in the region. And we're not going to stop doing that. We are not going to stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end.' The second part of Harris' answer was shown on the 60 Minutes broadcast; the first part was shown on Face the Nation. But in arguing that they were harmed by the broadcast, Trump's team wrote that merely 'having access to Defendants' services does not mean that a consumer would have watched the Election Special even without Defendants' deceptive advertising of it. Harris's meandering answer in the Preview was engaging in much the same way one cannot look away from a car crash happening in slow motion.' The Face the Nation preview was aired during the show, not during an advertising break. But Trump's team argued that CBS' legal team, in their motion to dismiss, 'neglects to reckon with modern forms of advertising monetization; the consumers' attention is the product which content creators vie for, which they can then monetize with advertisements.' In another filing, Trump's legal team also argued that the Texas court, rather than New York, was a proper venue for the litigation, as CBS had argued that the president was engaged in forum shopping. In his amended lawsuit, Trump added a resident of the state as plaintiff – Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), the former White House physician. The federal judge assigned to the case, Matthew Kacsmaryk, was nominated by Trump in his first term. During Joe Biden's presidency, conservative groups sought to file cases in his Amarillo jurisdiction, seeking favorable rulings, per the Texas Tribune. In April, Kacsmaryk noted that he already had granted five deadline extensions for filings in the case, and that any further extensions would have to 'demonstrate good cause.' Best of Deadline 'The Morning Show' Season 4: Everything We Know So Far 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Donald Trump Urges Judge Not To Dismiss CBS '60 Minutes' Lawsuit As Paramount And POTUS Teams Talk Settlement
Donald Trump's legal team made its latest filing in his lawsuit against CBS, as settlement negotiations continue between network parent Paramount and the president's team. Sources said that an opening offer to Trump has been made, in the eight figures, but that the discussions are still in the early stages. More from Deadline Donald Trump's Tariffs Deemed Unlawful & Blocked By Trade Court; White House Appeals Instantly Elon Musk Bids Farewell As Official Trump Administration Role Comes To An End Fox News Continued To See Audience Growth In May While MSNBC And CNN Posted Double-Digit Declines Vs. 2024 Meanwhile, Trump's team faced a deadline on Wednesday to file a response to CBS' motion to dismiss the lawsuit. Trump sued the network over the way that 60 Minutes edited an interview with Kamala Harris, as part of an election special that was broadcast in October. In a preview of the segment that aired on Face the Nation on October 6, Harris was shown giving an answer to a question about Israel-Gaza that was different than the one that was featured on the 60 Minutes broadcast the next day. Trump claimed that the broadcast was deceptive in a way to boost Harris' electoral chances. His amended, $20 billion lawsuit, filed in February, claimed violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and the federal Lanham Act, laws typically used by consumers against false advertising. Trump contended that the interview 'improperly diverted' traffic from his media platforms, including Truth Social. In a motion to dismiss, CBS argued that the 60 Minutes preview and broadcast were not commercial speech, but news programming protected by the First Amendment. The network also has denied that the 60 Minutes edits were deceptive and merely for time constraints, noting that the first part of Harris' answer was shown on the Face the Nation preview and the second for the show's broadcast. In their latest filing, Trump's legal team argued that determining 'that the First Amendment precludes the instant lawsuit would put the cart before the horse—the First Amendment is no shield to news distortion.' Trump's lawyers wrote that 'because they were misled by Defendants' false advertising and tampering with the entirety of the Interview, viewers withheld attention from President Trump and Truth Social by directing their attention to Defendants' media platforms. This increased Defendants' engagement, viewership, and advertising revenue, and decreased the value of President Trump's ownership in TMTG and other media holdings.' Read Trump's response to CBS in 60 Minutes lawsuit. They further added that Trump 'was forced to re-direct significant time, money, and effort to correcting the public record regarding the content of the Interview and Election Special.' A number of legal experts see the lawsuit as meritless. Katie Couric, the former anchor of CBS Evening News, called it 'bulls—' in a recent interview with Jim Acosta, the former CNN host and correspondent. Neither part of Harris' answer is clear. But Paramount Global is seeking Trump administration approval for its merger with Skydance Media, and a settlement of the lawsuit is viewed as a way to secure a green light for the transaction. In his interview with Harris, 60 Minutes correspondent Bill Whitaker asked her why Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not listening to the Biden administration. Harris replied, 'Well, Bill, the work that we have done has resulted in a number of movements in that region by Israel that were very much prompted by, or a result of many things, including our advocacy for what needs to happen in the region. And we're not going to stop doing that. We are not going to stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end.' The second part of Harris' answer was shown on the 60 Minutes broadcast; the first part was shown on Face the Nation. But in arguing consumer harm, Trump's team wrote that merely 'having access to Defendants' services does not mean that a consumer would have watched the Election Special even without Defendants' deceptive advertising of it. Harris's meandering answer in the Preview was engaging in much the same way one cannot look away from a car crash happening in slow motion.' The Face the Nation preview was aired during the show, not during an advertising break. But Trump's team argued that CBS' legal team, in their motion to dismiss, 'neglects to reckon with modern forms of advertising monetization; the consumers' attention is the product which content creators vie for, which they can then monetize with advertisements.' In another filing, Trump's legal team also argued that the Texas court, rather than New York, was a proper venue for the litigation, as CBS had argued that the president was engaged in forum shopping. The federal judge assigned to the case, Matthew Kacsmaryk, was nominated by Trump in his first term. During Joe Biden's presidency, conservative groups sought to file cases in his Amarillo jurisdiction, seeking favorable rulings, per the Texas Tribune. Best of Deadline 'The Morning Show' Season 4: Everything We Know So Far 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CBS News boss Wendy McMahon exits amid Trump pressure
The top executive in charge of CBS News resigned on Monday amid President Trump's intensifying political pressure against the news operation. Wendy McMahon alluded to a 'challenging' past few months in a farewell memo to employees. 'It's become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward,' she wrote. 'It's time for me to move on and for this organization to move forward with new leadership.' While McMahon did not address Trump's legally dubious lawsuit against CBS in the memo, the suit has been top of mind in recent months. McMahon has publicly stood up for the news division while its parent company, Paramount Global, has sought to settle with Trump while trying to win administration approval for its pending merger with Skydance Media. The clash between editorial principles and corporate priorities has profoundly shaken CBS, one of America's most distinguished broadcast networks. Last month, '60 Minutes' executive producer Bill Owens, who ran the program that triggered Trump's ire, said he was stepping down, citing a loss of independence. Owens and McMahon praised each other at the time, signaling a united front against Trump's legal attacks. Thus, McMahon's exit — coming one day after the season finale of '60 Minutes,' no less — has employees feeling 'like a purge is underway,' as one CBS correspondent told CNN on Monday. The correspondent spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not allowed to speak publicly. McMahon's departure also stirred speculation that a Paramount settlement with Trump is imminent. The company has not commented. In a memo on Monday morning, Paramount Global co-CEO George Cheeks thanked McMahon for four years of leadership. He said that McMahon's recently named number two, CBS News president Tom Cibrowski, will now report directly to him. A person with knowledge of the matter pointed out that McMahon's departure removes a layer of management at a time when Paramount is trying to slim down and spend less. McMahon's future was also far from certain under Skydance, the company that is trying to take control of CBS and the rest of Paramount. But by stepping down now, and referencing corporate disagreements about the 'path forward,' McMahon is highlighting Paramount's controversial dealings with the president. Trump sued CBS over the editing of last October's '60 Minutes' interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris. The suit's allegations that CBS violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, a consumer protection law, have been derided by legal experts as frivolous and ridiculous. CBS lawyers defended '60 Minutes' and its editorial judgment on First Amendment grounds. But Trump has blasted the network over and over again, at times even urging the FCC, an agency he has sought to control, to punish CBS by revoking its licenses. With the FCC tasked with reviewing the Paramount-Skydance deal, top executives sought to settle with Trump to make the lawsuit go away. Mediation talks reportedly began at the end of April. The notion of a settlement is anathema to '60 Minutes' employees. The transcript of the Harris interview, which CBS provided to the FCC in February, confirmed what the network said all along: It engaged in normal editing, not any nefarious activity like Trump alleged. Months before resigning, Owens told '60 Minutes' employees that he would not apologize as part of any settlement, since the newsmagazine did not do anything to warrant saying sorry. Despite Trump's attacks, '60 Minutes' continued to broadcast probing reports about his administration all winter and spring long. McMahon acknowledged the viewing audience in her memo Monday, writing, 'Thank you for your trust. You hold us accountable, and you remind us why this work matters.' Anna Gomez, one of the Democrats on the Republican-controlled FCC, wrote on X that McMahon's departure was 'beyond alarming.' 'Independent journalists are being silenced simply because their reporting may threaten the ambitions of their corporate owners,' Gomez wrote. 'It will only embolden an Administration hell-bent on censoring speech and controlling content.'
