Cox Counterclaims In Former Birmingham Manager's Suit

Counters

COX MEDIA GROUP has responded to former BIRMINGHAM VP/Market Mgr. DAVID DUBOSE's lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of ALABAMA, filing a 21-page answer and counterclaim on FRIDAY (8/16), denying that DUBOSE is owed the $310,686.97 he says the company promised him as bonus pay for staying with the cluster while it was in the process of being sold to his present employer SUMMITMEDIA, where he serves as EVP/COO.

The counterclaim asserts that DUBOSE violated COX's directive to not make "significant decisions" without consulting COX VP/Revenue PAUL CURRAN by hiring away RYAN HANEY from CUMULUS Sports WJOX/BIRMINGHAM to be PD of Sports WZNN, which was at the time said to be pursuing WJOX syndicated host PAUL FINEBAUM.  "DUBOSE knew when he hired HANEY that CMG and CXR had decided not to pursue FINEBAUM at that time. Nevertheless, DUBOSE hired HANEY with the intention of attracting FINEBAUM. DUBOSE’s employment of HANEY was solely for DUBOSE’s own and SUMMIT’s benefit" and put COX on the hook to indemnify HANEY for legal fees related to his own noncompete with CUMULUS.

COX management, the suit claims, decided to fire DUBOSE over the HANEY arrangement but were talked out of it by SUMMITMEDIA investor CARL PARMER and agreed to let DUBOSE stay.

DUBOSE's suit alleged that COX's then-Pres. DAVID FRANKLIN promised him a bonus based on staying on board through the transition and his help in several signal upgrades, then increased the ante when the sale did not close by the end of 2012.

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