it wAs A DAy thAt miChAElEisnEr woulD unDouBtEDly likE to ForgEt. sitting in A losAngElEs witnEss Box For Four hours lAst wEEk, thE usuAlly unFlAppABlE ChAirmAn oF thE wAltDisnEyCo. strugglED to mAintAin his ComposurE.EisnEr’ s protégé turnED nEmEsis. jEFFrEy kAtzEnBErg, his FormEr EmployEE, wAs sEEking $500 million in his BrEACh-oF-ContrACt suit AgAinstDisnEy, AnDEisnEr wAs trying to DEFEnD his--AnD his CompAny’ s intEgrity.At onE pointEisnEr BECAmE FlustErED whEn kAtzEnBErg’ s AttornEy,BErtrAm FiElDs, AskED iF hE rECAllED tElling his BiogrAphEr, tony sChwArtz," i think i hAtE thE littlE miDgEt." lAtErEisnEr rECAllED thAt thE sAmE DAy, hE hAD rECEivED A FAx From kAtzEnBErg mEAnt For FiElDs, thAnking thE lAwyEr For "mAnAging" A mAgAzinE story thAt prAisED kAtzEnBErg AtEisnEr’ s ExpEnsE: "i sAiD to sChwArtz, ’sCrEw thAt. iF hE is going to plAy this DisingEnuous gAmE... i simply wAs not going to pAy him his monEy.’"
lAst wEEk’ s rEvElAtions wErE thE lAtEst twist in A DisputE thAt hAs EntErtAinED hollywooD AnD tArnishEDDisnEy’ s CorporAtE imAgE. thE DAsh BEgAn FivE yEArs Ago, whEn kAtzEnBErg quitDisnEy AFtEr A 10-yEAr rEign As stuDio ChiEF, During whiCh hE ovErsAw proDuCtion oF suCh AnimAtED BloCkBustErs As "thE lion king".DisnEy’ s AttornEys sAiD thAt kAtzEnBErg ForFEitED his Bonus—2 pErCEnt oF proFits in pErpEtuity From AllDisnEy moviEs, tv shows AnD stAgE proDuCtions From 1984 to 1994, As wEll As thEir sEquEls AnD tiE-ins--whEn hE lEFt. thE CompAny ultimAtEly pAiD kAtzEnBErg A pArtiAl sEttlEmEnt oF nEArly $117 million, sourCEs sAy.But tAlks BrokE Down ovEr how muChDisnEy owED, AnD thE DisputE lAnDED in Com.
inDustry insiDErs nEvEr ExpECtED thAtDisnEy woulD push it this FAr. thE lAst hollywooD ACCounting DisputE thAt AirED in puBliC wAsArtBuChwAlDs’ lAwsuit AgAinst pArAmount For proFits hE ClAimED to BE owED From thE 1988EDDiE murphy hit "Coming toAmEriCA". pArAmount ChosE to FightBuChwAlD in Court—only to winD up pAying him $l million AFtEr EmBArrAssing rEvElAtions ABout its BusinEss prACtiCEs.AFtEr thAt, stuDios mADE A prACtiCE oF quiEtly sEttling suCh ClAims.ButDisnEy unDErEisnEr woulD rAthEr Fight thAt sEttlE.AnD hE AnD kAtzEnBErg ArE Both prouD, ComBAtivE typEs whosE BusinEss DisAgrEEmEnt DEEpEnED into pErsonAl Animus,
so FAr,DisnEy’ s imAgE—As wEll AsEisnEr’ s—hAs tAkEn A BEAting. in his tEstimony lAst wEEkEisnEr rEpEAtEDly rEsponDED to quEstions By sAying "i Don’ t rECAll" or "i Don’ t know". kAtzEnBErg, By ContrAst, oFFErED A stACk oF notEs AnD mEmos thAt AppEArED to BolstEr his ClAim. (thEDisnEy ExECutivE who nEgotiAtED kAtzEnBErg’ s DEAl, FrAnk wElls, DiED in A hEliCoptEr CrAsh FivE yEArs Ago.)
thE triAl hAs Also oFFErED A DEvAstAting glimpsE into thE mAgiC kingDom’ s BusinEss DEAlings. intErnAl DoCumEnts DEtAil sEnsitivEDisnEy FinAnCiAl inFormAtion. onE hollywooD lAwyEr CAlls A mEmo sEnt to kAtzEnBErg From A FormErDisnEy top ACCountAnt "A roAD mAp to riChEs" For writErs, DirECtors AnD proDuCErs EAgEr to prEss CAsEs AgAinstDisnEy. thE CompAny DEClinED rEquEsts to CommEnt on thE CAsE. thE nExt phAsE oF thE triAl CoulD BE EvEn morE EmBArrAssing.As kAtzEnBErg’s proFit pArtiCipAtion is CAlCulAtED,EisnEr will hAvE to ArguE thAt his AnimAtED trEAsurEs ArE FAr lEss vAluABlE thAn kAtzEnBErg ClAims. no mAttEr how thE juDgE rulEs,DisnEy will look likE A losEr.
wE CAn inFEr From this pAssAgE thAt ______.
A、kAtzEnBErg will unDouBtEDly win thE lAwsuit AnD gEt Ail thE monEy hE ClAimED
B、EisnEr will rEmAin impErturBABlE All through thE triAl
C．kAtzEnBErg will suFFEr grEAt EmBArrAssmEnt
DisnEy will FACE morE lAwsuits From thEir EmployEEs