Lawyers for CBS told a judge Thursday that the network and Howard Stern appear to be ready to settle the lawsuit filed by the network against the shock jock.
In February, CBS Radio sued Stern, his company One Twelve Inc., his agent, Don Buchwald, and Sirius Satellite Radio, seeking compensatory and punitive damages for breach of contract, fraud, unjust enrichment and misuse of CBS broadcast time.
Stern left CBS to join Sirius in January, after repeated run-ins with government censors over his often raunchy antics and those of his guests, which has included porn actors, prostitutes and strippers.
"We have an agreement but there are details that have to be worked out," CBS lawyer Irvin Nathan told Ira Gammerman, Manhattan Supreme Court judicial hearing officer, according to the New York Daily News.
The network claims that Stern, who announced his future defection to Sirius last October, spent his final 14 months on CBS radio constantly plugging Sirius. CBS contends he did this as a result of a secret deal that later awarded Stern and Buchwald more than $200 million worth of Sirius stock. That deal took place because Sirius had exceeded subscriber targets that were set in the satellite firm's contract with Stern, CBS claims.
Stern has called the lawsuit a "vicious" and "vindictive" move by CBS and its president, Leslie Moonves.
