Howard Stern, Beth Ostrosky Stern and two production companies on Wednesday called a lawsuit brought by a former assistant and office manager a “thinly veiled attempted shakedown,” escalating a fight over claims tied to the Stern show and a pair of confidentiality agreements.
Leslie Kuhn filed the case April 5 against Howard Stern, Beth Ostrosky Stern, One Twelve Inc. and Howard Stern Production Co. in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, saying she was fired because of a hostile work environment and the enablement of that environment. The suit also says confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements dated May 10, 2022, and May 23, 2025, were fraudulent and that Kuhn never signed them.
In their Wednesday memorandum seeking dismissal, the Stern parties said Kuhn “hatched a plan to extract a staggering ‘hush-money’ payment” and argued that her case “is based on a complete fabrication.” They said she signed the 2022 confidentiality agreement twice, first electronically in May 2022 and later with a wet ink signature in September 2022. The filing included an April 2 email from a Stern-party lawyer saying the clients had no intention of discussing Kuhn, her employment or her termination and would give a neutral reference if asked.
John Leonard, who represents Kuhn, said he would “vigorously oppose” the court filing and did not view it as “a threat to Ms. Kuhn’s claims, factually or legally.” He also said the September 2022 agreement would “only going to extend litigation.” Kuhn’s lawsuit asks the court to void the agreements on the ground that they would silence her about her employment and firing while allowing the defendants to speak freely about her.
The case centers on work Kuhn did for SiriusXM Radio’s “Howard Stern Show,” and it now turns on a familiar clash in employment litigation: whether a former worker gave up the right to speak, or whether the paperwork itself was used to lock that voice away. For now, the Stern side is pressing for dismissal, and Kuhn’s lawyer says he is ready to fight it in Manhattan court.
