Fired radio host Don Imus is close to settling his impending 120 million bucks lawsuit against former employer CBS, according to Friday's New York Post. The newspaper says negotiations on the settlement are all but finalized, but CBS is dragging its feet until it can sign a contract with former NFL star Boomer Esiason to take over the I-Man's old slot on WFAN-AM New York. That's reportedly because CBS wants to keep open the possibility of an Imus return until it has Boomer safely under contract. No word on the amount of the settlement being discussed, but the Post quotes a source as saying they would much rather be on the Imus side of the negotiations.
Imus had about 40 million remaining on his contract when CBS fired him for using a racist comment when referring to the Rutgers women's basketball team. But the I-Man's lawyer has made it clear in public statements that the contract – which still hasn't been seen since the lawsuit hasn't actually been filed – didn't allow for his client's dismissal under such circumstances. In addition to the 40 million paycheck, Imus claims that losing the WFAN show, which was also syndicated nationwide, has reduced sales of products to fund his charities, leading to the total claim of 120 million.
The Imus radio show had also been simulcast on MSNBC, which moved first to fire him before CBS. MSNBC has not yet named a permanent replacement for the time slot.
