Jian Ghomeshi Comes to Settlement with CBC, Drops $55-Million Lawsuit

Former CBC Radio host Jian Ghomeshi dropped his $55 million lawsuit against the news corporation. CBC spokesman Chuck Thompson confirmed the news.

The former Q host, who was terminated by CBC after the national broadcaster had found his "sexual preferences" offensive, withdrew the case against his former employee. A number of women opened up about their allegations of sexual violence against the radio host after he had been fired by the news network. Ghomeshi apparently showed the CBC a personal video where he was seen indulging in violence during sexual activities. He showed the video to the authorities apparently to prove that the activities were consensual. CBC authorities, on the contrary, considered the video to be evidence of what Ghomeshi had been accused of and decided to terminate him. Ghomeshi apparently found his termination unacceptable and decided to sue the news network.

Ghomeshi mentioned in his lawsuit that the news corporation had acted "in bad faith" by terminating him on the basis of his personal life. The CBC, on the other hand, has always demanded that the lawsuit should be dismissed. The Star reported that Ghomeshi struck a deal with CBC on Friday and decided to withdraw the lawsuit. Thompson said that the parties had reached a settlement as the lawsuit was withdrawn. However, the process would still need to be formalised through a court order, he said. Ghomeshi now has to pay $18,000 to the CBC in legal costs.

At least nine women and a man opened up against Ghomeshi so far. While a number of them stayed away from filing a legal complaint, all of them accused the prominent radio host of sexual abuse. Canadian actress Lucy DeCoutere alleged that Ghomeshi had choked her during intimate moments. She said that the broadcaster had also slapped her on the head. Ghomeshi, on the contrary, dismissed the allegations and said that even though he preferred adventurous activities during sex, everything he did with his girlfriend was consensual. One man, who worked with Ghomeshi during his university days, complained that the notable host had groped and fondled him. He said that Ghomeshi's action came as a shock and was far from being consensual.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au