In an amended complaint filed on March 12, plaintiffs in the Dolan vs. Altice lawsuit have asked the court to require Altice USA to perform on its promise to the Dolan Family by restoring staffing levels at News 12 to 462 for a five-year period and to appoint a third-party monitor to oversee compliance.
This request follows a court order dated February 13, 2019, in which the Honorable Joseph R. Slights III, Vice Chancellor, Court of Chancery, State of Delaware, ordered Altice USA to maintain “Status Quo” staffing levels at News 12 for the remainder of the lawsuit.
Patrick Dolan, who was president of News 12 at the time of its sale to Altice USA, commented: “Altice made a solemn promise to my family that it would protect News 12’s amazing staff for five years after closing the Merger Agreement. Altice failed to maintain staffing levels of 462 full-time equivalent employees, which they agreed to do in their contract when Altice acquired Cablevision in 2016.”
A lawsuit was filed September 4 in the Court of Chancery, State of Delaware by the Dolan Family against Altice USA for failure to abide by promises Altice made in a 2016 Merger Agreement. The merger of Altice and Cablevision closed in June 2016 for a value of $17.7 billion in cash consideration.
In 2017, Altice eliminated approximately 70 News 12 positions in direct violation of the agreed-upon business plan. In targeting two women anchors, both dedicated 30-year veterans of News 12, Altice may have been engaging in age and/or gender bias as well as thinning News 12 staff.
News 12 is a group of cohesive, regional cable news television channels serving nearly 3 million households in New York State, Connecticut, and New Jersey, and provides 24-hour local news coverage.
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