Big Lead: ESPN settles sexual harrassment suit with Berman, makeup person

Spend the money, then. Waste the corporate time.
It's Berman. Still "The Face of ESPN," right? But not worth defending?

 

Mike & Mike will get to the bottom of it. Greenberg went to Northwestern

 

I think it is fair to say that Berman has had plenty of issues over the years -- as that video shows. Most likely in discovery, all that comes out even if it would never be admissible in trial. In addition, lots of other dirty laundry about other people will also be mentioned. If you cut a check for say 3-6 months salary, it is totally worth it to avoid a series of embarrassing leaks and the cost of defending a case.

I've never been against Allred in court, but I had a case against her firm about 10 years ago. The vibe that I got from her colleague was that she was a middling lawyer but absolutely amazing with the press.

I had a case a few years back involving allegations of harassment/workplace mistreatment which got a decent amount of publicity. I had worked with the accused executive for years and I knew that he didn't do the things which were alleged. It just wasn't who he was and the quotes in the complaint weren't in tone or substance what he would ever have said. But the plaintiff's lawyer wanted such a small amount of money, I had to recommend that his employer settle, which they did. It would have cost them at a minimum 10-15 times the amount to try the case, even if there was a successful pre-trial motion for summary judgment.

 

OK, fair enough. But ESPN, for example, can't have it both ways, paying a case "without merit" to go away because they don't want a shitload of dirty laundry from other episodes to come out during discovery.

Actually, they can pay the case to go away, of course. But the spin-doctoring is horseshit.

 

I'm as sensitive to gender discrimination as possible given my counsel to my clients, and as much as I dislike the caricature that Berman is these days, that video was not as bad I thought it would be. He no doubt can be creepy but viewed objectively it wasn't that bad IMHO; he did not hold the hug too long nor leer at her really.

 

What is going on between 0:13 and 0:15?


I haven't watched this youtube in years. I forgot about the "How was Christmas?" question to the jew.

 

Is that because she really is just amazing with the press or if you criticize her it = criticize women's rights?

 

I think she does a great job promoting the hell out of her clients and herself. I'm often not sure to what end -- she got herself on TV dozens of times with respect to Amber Frey, who was never a suspect, wasn't accused of being complicit in anything and was only a witness. Yet both of their faces were everywhere.

 

Yeah, I didn't think it was that bad either. I mean, it was kinda weird, but I expected to see some harrassin'.

 

Tommy, did you think I would get charged?

Whooooop.