In a lot times settled law suits with non disclosure cannot be used is subsequent suits. Usually part of the agreement is non culpability. Not sure that enters in.
It is true that terms of a settled law suit with non disclosure cannot be used without violating the agreement.
BUT, both sides know that an agreement has been reached and that means that the plaintiff i.e. Sandman's side won.
If cnn had believed that were right and going to win, they would have taken it all the way, both to trial as well as appeal.
Any objective person looking at the evidence, i.e. the video that is readily available and NON-DISPUTABLE, indicates that the media companies are at fault.
Knowing that you have a losing position, you settle and when you do, you are in a position of weakness.
Sandman was a rookie, but his attorneys were pros and knew that they had the media companies by the short hair and were not going to roll over for a cheezy coupla million bucks.
There is no way that they got close to the $275 million, but to believe that they settled for any seven figure amount is just ridiculous.
I doubt that they hit a $100 million, but the high 60-70s wouldn't surprise me.
A million bucks ain't what it used to be, since there are over 22,400,000 people in the USA that are millionaires.