A lawyer for a South Dakota meat producer says the company's defamation lawsuit settlement with ABC exceeds the $177 million charge the network's parent company reported in a recent financial filing.
Disney, which owns ABC, disclosed the $177 million charge in a filing this week with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that offered few other details.
Beef Products Inc. attorney Dan Webb said in a Wednesday statement that based on the disclosure, it appears Disney is funding $177 million of the settlement and insurers are "paying the rest."
Webb's statement doesn't specify the full settlement amount. Disney didn't immediately respond to an email requesting comment.
BPI sued ABC in 2012 over its reports on a beef product that critics dubbed "pink slime." BPI argued that ABC's coverage misled consumers into believing the product is unsafe, is not beef and isn't nutritious. The companies announced the settlement in June while the case was at trial, but the terms are confidential.
