Howard Stern’s Ex-Assistant’s Case Crumbles In Court After He Called It A ‘Sham’

Howard Stern walked out of court with a smile, the law on his side.

The popular host has been in a legal battle with his former assistant, who was suing for $2.5 million with scathing accusations against him and his wife, Beth Stern. The disgruntled employee claimed that the power couple fostered a hostile work environment.

Howard Stern has been in the headlines previously after being called out by former employees who claimed they were underpaid and fired after requesting a raise.

Stern has one less lawsuit to worry about after scoring a major win in court. The judge tossed his ex-assistant’s entire lawsuit and ruled that the NDA at the center of their legal battle is to be upheld.

Leslie Kuhn alleged in her lawsuit that the comedian’s company may have hacked her work email and electronically signed the May 2025 agreement on her behalf. According to the judge’s decision, that claim is now null and void, and the terms of the signed agreement still stand.

According to details from the ruling obtained by TMZ, the court brought to light an email sent from the former employee’s account stating “Signed NDA attached” with the agreement bearing her electronic signature. The judge called Kuhn’s hacking theory a “bald assertion.”

Inside Leslie Kuhn’s Now-Tossed Case

Kuhn sued Stern, Beth, and their companies for at least $2.5 million, claiming that she was treated unfairly while she worked for the media personality. She also requested that she be freed from the confidentiality agreements dated 2022 and 2025, adding that she got nothing in exchange for signing. Notably, Stern already agreed not to enforce the 2022 agreement.

She also claimed that she faced “immense pressure” while she worked as an executive assistant in their Southampton, New York, mansion. Kuhn stated that she also assisted Beth with what she described as a large-scale cat rescue and fostering operation run from the home. 

The judge noted that, to her claim of getting nothing in exchange for the NDA, she got to keep her job for nine months, earned more than $192,000, and walked away with an $80,000 bonus. The judge, however, did not impose any sanctions on Kuhn after dismissing the suit but warned her against making more frivolous arguments.

The Shock Jock Was Not Perturbed By Kuhn’s Claims

Stern refuted his ex-assistant’s claims, stating that she knowingly signed the agreements. He also labeled the case as a “shakedown” and a “transparent sham,” noting that he had no intention of dragging the matter into the public eye.

Unlike the host who tried to keep the matter below the surface level, court documents show that the disgruntled employee’s termination became a matter of public record solely because “Kuhn and her counsel chose to publicize it.”

According to the comedian’s attorney, Ilene Farkas, the couple is simply trying to uphold “non-disclosure agreements signed by employees who enter their home and their private life. 

The Blast reported that Stern, in his filing to dismiss the case, stated that Kuhn’s lawsuit was merely an attempt to pressure him and his wife into an “outlandish” settlement after her contract was terminated earlier this year.

Other Former Employees Previously Claimed They Were Underpaid

Kuhn’s initial complaint alleged that she received a letter from Howard’s production company in December 2025 informing her that her salary would increase to $265,000 and that she would receive an additional $80,000 bonus in 2026, only to be fired just two months later.

In 2023, one of Stern’s ex-employees brought similar claims to light. Jackie Martling, who worked with “The Howard Stern Show” host from 1983 to 2001 as a cast member and writer, explained that while his boss made “countless millions of dollars,” much of the staff were severely underpaid.

Martling shared that Stern did not attempt to increase his salary over the years, and when he requested a raise, the comedian decided to let him go instead. The Blast shared that other ex-staff John Melendez and Steve Grillo also aired their grievances.

The former stated that he earned only $20,000 while working with the media personality and his pay never went above $75,000, while the latter claimed he worked without pay for his first few years. After Grillo started earning a salary, the pay allegedly did not cover the long hours he worked and never went above minimum wage. 

Howard Stern’s Earnings Intact Despite Show Downsize

The shock jock is rolling in money despite the legal drama and changes in his company and show schedule. While a great deal of his staff were laid off, Stern continues to earn lump sums of money that run in six/seven figures.

As reported by The Blast, the radio host recently renewed his contract with SiriusXM after a five-year deal that bagged him $500 million. Based on his previous $100 million annual salary and four-hour weekly airtime, the comedian makes about $8,000 every minute, and this figure is open to an increase.

The news of Stern’s earnings made headlines after he reportedly fired almost a dozen members of his crew during a Zoom meeting and cut down his show to one new episode per week. The broadcaster’s new deal with SiriusXM reportedly allows him to have “flexibility” with plans and schedules for his show and personal activities.

Will Howard Stern be facing any more lawsuits this year?