Home Local News DISNEY REPORT SHEDS DETAILS OF BPI VS ABC NEWS LAWSUIT SETTLEMENT

DISNEY REPORT SHEDS DETAILS OF BPI VS ABC NEWS LAWSUIT SETTLEMENT

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We know more information about the settlement reached in the nearly two billion dollar lawsuit filed by Beef Products Incorporated against ABC News and reporter Jim Avila.

The quarterly earnings report released by ABC’s parent company, Disney shows that Disney paid $177 million dollars plus insurance recoveries, to settle the defamation case with BPI.

Disney’s financial tables do not specify the BPI lawsuit, however the BPI litigation is the only case Disney refers to in their report.

A statement from Dan Webb, who led the BPI legal team, says “As Disney disclosed, $177 Million is not the total settlement amount.

Based on Disney’s disclosure, it appears that Disney is funding $177 million of the settlement and its insurers are paying the rest.”

BPI sued ABC and Avila in 2012 saying they defamed the company by referring to its lean finely textured beef as “pink slime”.

The company claimed it lost business after those reports and was forced to close manufacturing plants and layoff hundreds of workers.