Don Imus Using Charity as Pawn in Contract Dispute

The shock jock helped kids with his charity, now they are helping him collect on his $40 million contract with CBS. 

The most-read and commented post on Where Most Needed this year so far is the piece on the Imus Ranch (Imus Ranch Violates Charity Oversight Standards, April 11, 2007).  Most (OK, all) of the comments have been from Imus fans (who disagree with the piece, naturally), and they have taken up bashing the entry on the fan blog Imustruth.  But on Sunday the fan blog posted a link to a piece in the New York Magazine by Robert Kolker titled The Resurrection of Don Imus, which showed how much Mr. Imus is relying on charity to advance his personal interests.

The story reports that the $120 million lawsuit threatened by attorney Marvin Garbus includes $40 million for the fired jock and $80 million in lost income for the charities.  Truth is, this isn't original reporting by New York Magazine.  The magazine story fails to mention that the connection was outed in an interview of Mr. Garbus by Anderson Cooper on his 360 Degree program back in May:

COOPER:  $120 million, the contract was for $40 million.  How do you get $120 million?  That's...

GARBUS: The contract is for $40 million, plus any indirect damages that he suffers, plus legal fees. The indirect damages are very substantial. He has certain other businesses, the income of which he gives to charities. That's a very substantial amount of money.

So, in other words, all of these businesses that he has -- he has a ranch, he has food products -- what he has been doing over the years is taking the monies, 100 percent of the monies from those businesses, and giving them to these particular charities. Without those monies, those charities are extraordinarily hampered. That's where you get the other $80 million.

What's noteworthy here is how closely enmeshed are Mr. Imus's interests and those of the charities he works with.  It seems to me that charities are not supposed to be about personal gain.  Yes, he's trying to help kids, but he's tying it to an attempt to gain $40 million for himself.  And a serious question arises about how the legal bill is divvied up between Mr. Imus and the charity beneficiaries. 

Don Imus seems to have a fascination with skating to the edge of what is acceptable.  But he went over the edge and got himself fired from the radio, and I think he has gone over the edge again in tying his personal fortunes with the good will of sick kids.   

Comments

[Victoria2dc]

Honestly, I think it's none of your friggin' business. I don't condone his racist remarks and I agree with the decision that he should have been fired. However, who are you to judge him?

From what I understand, he's been helping kids at the ranch for years... and if he can win damages in a court of law, more power to him. He's an old man for god sakes... let him rest in peach on the ranch and continue to do the work for the sick children.

Leave him alone and let his attorney negotiate this matter. CBS can afford it. Let them pay!

ENOUGH...

[Jeannette]

Honestly, your piece has such a twisted, mean-spirited spin to it. This is the reason Imus fans have come to his defense.

[Tom]

Wow, this is the most uninformed piece of garbage I have read. When you actually visit the ranch or talk with kids who have attended the ranch, then please let us know what you find out. Otherwise start some charity work yourself rather than wasting your time writing this BS

[Channel Surfer]

Underalms,

Why should CBS get a free walk? The Company fired Imus, thus breaching an employment contract in the middle of a fundraiser, which by the way benefits children?

Considering the settlement, its about the lost opportunity to fund raise and the effects thereof. For terms of a settlement, it would be fair if CBS were to make a contribution to the Imus Ranch endowment as well as make contributions to the CJ Foundation for SIDs and The Tomorrows' Children Fund.

Imus Ranch is not about personal enrichment. The Imus Ranch provides children with cancer or serious blood disorders as well as children who have lost brothers or sisters to sudden infant death syndrome , the experience of the great american cowboy.

Regards,
ChanX

This weeks news from the Imus Ranch;

Matt Reynolds, a 12-year-old from Charlotte, N.C., won this week's ranch rodeo at the Imus Cattle Ranch for Kids with Cancer.

In the process, he set a new ranch record, and became almost a lock to win the All-Around champion's buckle for 2007.

Huge deal.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2007/08/12/2007-08-12_joe_is_still_cool.html?ref=rss

[Anne]

Why do you want to turn something good into something negative? It is CBS who did the dishonorable by not honoring a contract they signed with Imus only months before the firing. Why don't you investigate what the real motivations were behind that?

[M G]

He deserves well over the lost salary of $40 million. His reputation has been sullied, his charity fundraiser dropped from telecast (still rose $4 million from what I understand even without TV). CBS had no reason to fire him and I hope they pony up big and he gets back on the air the next day... same goes for Bernard McGuirk too. I hope he gets all his compensation and damages also.

[JoeM]

Wow I have seen twisted logic before but this tortures logic. Maybe, just maybe the issue is Imus seeking to ensure continuation of the ranch after he passes by making sure that funding will be available after he is gone.

Further, you demonstrate a clear lack of knowledge of contract law in your response. Imus is going to get paid, he has a contract and when you have a contract and get fired you get paid. (Think football coaches who get paid when fired).

Pursuing enough funds to endow the ranch which he would have been able to do through promotion of ranch products on the air is a reasonable argument for him to make.

[Mary Lynn Nemergut]

If you had a child who benefitted from the Imus sponsored charities, perhaps you wouldn't be bashing him in this completely biased story.

Sure we all knew his charities would suffer once he was off the air but I think it is great Garbus is going after CBS for the monies lost. And he is much smarter than you, my fiend. No typos.

BTW, what charities have you started? Would you go to a place to help kids where you had to have oxegen always available? This doesn't sound like fun to me. Imus lives on Central Park West and has a home on the Sound in Westport CT. I live 15 miles away from Westport and it is where people come to spent the summers.
Who is the author of this article? I looked but couldn't find your name.
Afraid?

[J G]

Imus deserves damages in addition to his salary. Did the author of this donate to his charity yet? I doubt it.

[Channel Surfer]

"Don Imus Using Charity as Pawn in Contract Dispute."

This is a baseless accusation, developed through supposition and entirely absent of supporting data to back up the headline!

There are no facts which substantiate Imus is acting in other then an honorable way regarding the charities in his dealings with CBS Corp.

Of the $ 120M the $80M represents the total for damages, such as commercial interests as well as fund raising for charitable causes including the Imus Ranch!

[Channel Surfer]

More News From the Ranch:

Home on the ranch with Imus

http://www.thenews-messenger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070813/NEWS01/708130314

(Obviously one of the 80% who are satisfied with the ranch)

[channelxrfr]

Latest from the Imus Ranch

Four years ago, a terrific Jersey girl - Chelsea Scymanski, 15, Newton, N.J. - lost a brother, Blake, to cancer.

Last week, Chelsea went out to the Imus Cattle Ranch for Kids with Cancer and won the ranch rodeo with a time of 24.08.

[real jordan sneakers]

first time commenter long time reader,i guess it is time to leave a feedback,simply the best blog ever

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[バーバリーマフラー]

東京電力福島第一原発事故で東電に巨額の損失が生じたのは、経営陣が地震や津波の安全対策を怠ってきたためだとして、株主らが東電に対し、歴代の経営陣に損害賠償請求訴訟を起こすよう求める書面を提出する方針を固めたことが分かった
請求額や対象者を検討した上で、今月中にも提出したいとしている。提出後、６０日以内に東電が提訴しない場合、株主代表訴訟を東京地裁に起こすという。
株主の一人は「このままでは、過去の経営陣の責任追及があいまいになってしまう。裁判で責任の所在をはっきりさせるべきだ」と話した。一方、東電は「内容を把握していないので、コメントは差し控える」としている。

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[ティンバーランド]

ティンバーランド付近住民らが数日前から目撃したのも同じ男とみられ、近くの女性も取材に「事件が発覚する何日か前の午前８時ごろ、尾崎さん宅の玄関門扉前に段ボールを持って立つ黒っぽい服装の不審な男を見た」と話した。東側の別の門扉の前には、バイクが止められていたという。

　ティンバーランド一方、堺市南区の歯科医師の妻、田村武子さん（６７）が行方不明になっている事件に絡んで窃盗容疑で逮捕された西口宗宏容疑者（５０）とよく似た男が尾崎さんの事件があった日、同市内の農協支所で、尾崎さんのキャッシュカードを使い残高を照会。その際、支所付近の防犯カメラには、黒っぽい服装の男が黒いバイクで乗り付ける姿が記録されていた。

　府警は、西口容疑者方から黒い原付きバイクを押収し、関連の有無を調べている。