Dakota Dunes, SD (RadioIowa) — The quarterly earnings report released by A-B-C’s parent company Disney gives a little more information on the settlement reached in the lawsuit filed by Beef Products Incorporated against A-B-C News and reporter Jim Avila.
Disney paid 177 million dollars plus insurance recoveries, to settle the defamation case with B-P-I. Disney’s financial tables do not specify the B-P-I lawsuit, however, the B-P-I litigation is the only case Disney refers to in their report.
A statement from Dan Webb, who led the B-P-I legal team, says “As Disney disclosed, 177 million dollars is not the total settlement amount. Based on Disney’s disclosure, it appears that Disney is funding 177 million dollars of the settlement and its insurers are paying the rest.”
B-P-I sued A-B-C 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 lay off hundreds of workers.
