SHAREHOLDERS: EISNER COWED DISNEY'S BOARD (gave "life partner" godzilla $262M payout)

NY POST ^ | March 8, 2005 | RICHARD WILNER

[Liz]

Eisner said he decided to fire his best friend and "life partner" because Ovitz couldn't operate properly in a public company...triggering a godzilla payout of...$129.8 million in severance....plus $132.4 million in interest dating from the Dec 1996 firing.....

(Sniffle) Well, what would you do? Eisner thought Ovitz was gonna be his partner for life (sob).......

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Custody battles can be so messy...think of the children!

[durasell]

Gee, an agent got the better of a movie exec. I don't know if I believe that...

[Miss Marple]

What? Does this mean what it looks like?

[dsc]

Hold on -- is that "life partner" stuff code for "accomplice in sodomy?"

Eisner suffers from same-sex attraction disorder?

So much falls into place with that piece of information.

[.45MAN]

Yup a real above board company. Since Disney Died this place has been filled with nothing but giant RATS and it will never change..

[durasell]

Neither is gay. Though Eisner did get shafted in the deal.

[Miss Marple]

Weird choice of phrase, then, isn't it?

[ikka]

It's all about suing in order to embarass the board, plus trigger certain provisions in the insurance that each board member carries (called E&O for errors and omissions). So if successful the insurance company will pay off.

[durasell]

It's supposed to imply they're gay, hence the "sweetheart deal."

[television is just wrong]

Eisner is gay??

[Liz]

......only their hairdressers know for sure (snicker)........

[Liz]

ROTFLMCO.......I guess Eisner figured out a way to get it.

[Miss Marple]

Well, to my mind that is pretty tacky writing. I don't like Eisner one bit, and I think he should have been forced out years ago. I also think he was absolutely unethical in striking this deal with Ovitz.

If the reporter intended this as a smear by inference, the reporter is behaving unethically as well. I don't like it when the press does this to people in the administration, and I don't like it when this reporter does it either.

[durasell]

The board, from what I know of it, trusted Eisner because he made a ton of money for the company and boosted stock value. He never groomed someone to take over and after awhile employees turned against him. Nobody wants to work those hours...

[Liz]

Far be it for me to dispense unsubstantiated rumors, but there has been talk about Eisner dressing up as Goofy ---and palling around with Bruce, Criag, Troy, and the boys on Gay Day at Disney

[durasell]

What? No comments about Mousewitz or Duckau, which is what employees call it.

[Liz]

Very calculated, to be sure.

[Liz]

I guess there's no desire to turn Eisner into a "victim".....not to the degree that he will portray himself, in any event.

[durasell]

You know what they say about Disney -- if you're not there early on Saturday morning, don't even bother showing up Sunday.

Eisner stayed at the party too long.