Cosby’s Future, Hollywood Headaches, and Biden vs. the MLB?

Happy President's Day from Puck, and thanks for reading The Daily Courant. Here's a sampling of what's new in our world. 

First up: Eriq Gardner empties his legal notebook with updates on the idiosyncratic judge who oversaw Sarah Palin v. New York Times; Warner Bros.’s attempt to hush up a lawsuit that’s got everyone in Hollywood talking; and when we’ll learn Bill Cosby’s fate at the Supreme Court. Plus new details on how the threat of another extended Major League Baseball work stoppage could spur action in D.C., and how the Jeff Zucker saga at CNN could provide a startling test case for a sweeping new bill coming out of Washington.

Then, below the fold: William D. Cohan weighs in on Shari Redstone's sinking stock, throws cold water on GE, and begs Bill Ford to ignore Elon Musk. And make sure to sign up for Julia Ioffe's private email to receive her next dispatch on the Russia-Ukraine crisis before it hits inboxes tomorrow.

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Allison Gollust’s New Legal Edge

The potential new law that could help the recently departed CNN C.M.O., plus updates on WarnerMedia’s other legal headache, Bill Cosby’s future, and the MLB’s nightmare spring.

It often feels as though no federal law is passed unless both heaven and stars align perfectly, and even then, big corporations effectively get a veto. So it’s quite remarkable that both the House and Senate this month managed to pass a “sweeping overhaul of workplace sexual misconduct law,” to borrow CNN’s characterization. Assuming Biden signs the bill, it’ll mean that allegations of sexual assault and harassment can no longer be forced into arbitration.

But what is actually within the scope of this anti-arbitration law? That’s what attorneys will soon game, as many will likely take any opportunity to leverage public shame and embarrassment into strategic advantage. The law itself doesn’t define “sexual harassment,” and if there are questions about whether a situation falls into the anti-arbitration zone, this new law allows a judge, rather than an arbitrator, to determine applicability. That detail, in particular, will become quite important in the years ahead.

Want a topical example? Let’s say that Allison Gollust decides to file a legal

claim against WarnerMedia after being forced to leave CNN as its chief marketing officer. (As my partners Matt Belloni and Dylan Byers have noted, Gollust appears to be weighing her options.) Her departure came after belatedly disclosing a romance with former CNN president Jeff Zucker, a relationship that was also the proximate cause for his ouster. No one seems to be claiming sexual harassment here, but WarnerMedia alleged that they should have disclosed the consensual relationship. Why? Well...

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