Warner Wolf Sues the I-Man

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Longtime WCBS Sports Anchor Warner Wolf is giving radio shock jock Don Imus a retirement present.

The former sportscaster is suing Imus for age discrimination. 

The NY Post writes that Wolf is taking Imus and three others to the New York State Supreme Court, alleging Wolf was let go from“Imus in the Morning” show at the end of 2016 because of age discrimination and is owed severance, as well as damages for “severe mental anguish, emotional distress, humiliation,” among other maladies.

Imus is scheduled to retire from his show at the end of March. 

In the suit, Imus is the first one named as a defendant, along with WABC GM Chad Lopez, Cumulus senior VP Mike McVay and WABC program director Craig Schwalb. The claim was filed late Thursday morning.

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Wolf’s lawyer, Douglas H. Wigdor, writes, “Imus routinely made inappropriate comments about the Plaintiff’s age, including stating that it was ‘time to put [Mr. Wolf] out to pasture’ and ‘shoot him with an elephant dart gun.’”

In 2016, the suit says, Imus replaced Wolf, then 78, because of his age and hired Sid Rosenberg, who was 30 years younger. Wolf claims that Cumulus refused to honor severance for 26 weeks of pay, amounting to $97,500. There seems to be a disagreement between the two parties on whether a deal had been officially consummated.

In 2016, Wolf claims that he agreed to a pay cut to $80,000, which was a condition that WABC insisted upon so he could continue to work from Naples. The 26 weeks’ severance remained part of the deal, according to Wolf. Wolf felt like the terms were agreed upon, via email.

Before the new agreement went into effect, Rosenberg was hired and Imus, according to the suit, sent Wolf an email saying he didn’t think the Florida arrangement was working.

“We tried it,” Imus allegedly wrote. “It sucks. If you’re in studio in New York … it’s terrific. Anything else is not.”

Wolf said neither Imus nor the station had ever said his working from Naples was an issue prior to the email.