Fox News Media has appointed Katherine Moran Meeks, a partner from Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, as its new general counsel. This move follows Bernard Gugar’s decision to step down after three years in the role. Suzanne Scott, the CEO of Fox News, expressed her gratitude towards Gugar for his “incredibly hard work and extensive contributions,” and noted that Meeks’ diverse background makes her well-suited to navigate the legal complexities of today’s media industry. Meeks, a former reporter and editor, will begin her new role on August 19th, as noted in the statement.
Meeks’ legal career has been marked by significant milestones, including clerkships with former US Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy and former Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Chief Judge Alex Kozinski. Before her tenure at Gibson Dunn, where she focused on complex statutory and constitutional matters, Meeks spent over seven years at Williams & Connolly in Washington. She has handled a range of high-profile cases, from defending media companies against libel suits to representing corporate clients like Meta Platforms Inc. For example, she was involved in defending Fox News in a case brought by the parents of Seth Rich, a murdered Democratic National Committee staffer, which ultimately settled.
In her new role, Meeks will report to CEO Suzanne Scott and Adam Ciongoli, who joined Fox Corp. in late 2023 as chief legal and policy officer. Stephen Potenza, a former Kirkland & Ellis partner, will remain with Fox News and now report directly to Meeks. Potenza had previously worked under Viet Dinh, Ciongoli’s predecessor in private practice.
Meeks joins Fox News at a time when the network is dealing with various legal challenges. Recently, a “revenge porn” lawsuit filed by Hunter Biden was withdrawn after being moved to federal court. Additionally, lawsuits filed by former Biden administration staffer Nina Jankowicz and stemming from Fox News’ coverage of Dominion Voting Systems Inc. and Smartmatic Corp. are ongoing. These matters highlight the complexities Meeks will face in her new role.
For more details, you can read the full article on Bloomberg Law.