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Sports broadcasting giant ESPN and its parent company Disney have reportedly made a substantial settlement offer to end the free speech lawsuit brought against them by anchor Sage Steele.
According to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, ESPN has proposed a settlement amount of $501,000 along with covering some of Steele’s attorney fees.
The legal battle commenced in April when Sage Steele filed a lawsuit against ESPN and Disney, alleging that the network retaliated against her for exercising her right to free speech.
The controversy arose when Steele appeared alongside former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler on a podcast and voiced her concerns about Disney’s mandate for employees to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.
During the discussion with Cutler, Steele expressed her reservations about the vaccine mandate, stating, “I respect everyone’s decision, I really do, but to mandate it is sick and it’s scary to me in many ways. I just, I’m not surprised it got to this point, especially with Disney, I mean a global company like that.
Steele reportedly faced negative reactions from former co-workers, as well as current colleagues like Ryan Clark, who refused to appear on set with her. Allegedly, the network also suspended Steele for two days as a result of her expressing her opinions on these controversial topics.
In the lawsuit, Steele accused ESPN of violating her free speech rights, retaliating against her, reprimanding her, and scapegoating her. She claimed that the network allowed the media and her peers to excoriate her and forced her to apologize simply because her personal opinions did not align with Disney’s corporate philosophy at the time.
While the trial is currently scheduled to begin in March 2024, both parties entered non-binding mediation in March of this year, indicating a willingness to resolve the dispute outside of court. The recent settlement offer made by ESPN and Disney suggests their desire to put the lawsuit behind them and avoid a lengthy and potentially costly legal battle.
It should be noted that the settlement offer does not imply an admission of liability on the part of the defendants, nor does it acknowledge any damages suffered by the plaintiff.
The specifics of the damages Steele sought in her lawsuit have not been disclosed, leaving it unclear whether the settlement offer exceeds her initial demands.