Acerbic radio host Don Imus is being sued by his son’s former nanny for an on-air outburst in which Imus called her a terrorist after firing her over an incident with a pocket knife and a paper-cap gun.
In a civil suit made public Tuesday, Cathleen Mallette, 24, said Imus and his wife, Deirdre, hired her in October 2003 as a full-time nanny to their 5-year-old son, Wyatt. She was fired a month later over the incident at Imus’s New Mexico ranch.
Before leaving on the trip, Mallette said Wyatt told her he kept cap guns at the ranch and was allowed to play with them when supervised. Mallette promised to bring her paper-cap gun so they could play “cowboys” at the ranch.
Once there, she and the boy went hiking and Mallette wore a 1 1/2-inch pocket knife sheathed in a leather harness on her belt.
The complaint, which seeks “compensatory and punitive damages in an amount to be determined at trial,” alleges that later that night, the nanny received a “hysterical” call from Imus’ wife concerning the pocket knife and paper-cap gun. Mallette said she was later angrily confronted by the couple before being told she was fired and to leave the ranch.
The lawsuit alleges that on Nov. 29, 2003, Imus appeared on his “Imus in the Morning” show live from the New Mexico ranch ”and spewed out patently slanderous aspersions concerning” Mallette.
“During the course of the broadcast, Imus falsely informed his audience that he had been forced to disarm his nanny the previous night, and referred to Plaintiff as a violent, armed and dangerous criminal”...and called Mallette “a terrorist.”
Mallette said Imus’ remarks exposed her to public hatred and ridicule. She is seeking an unspecified amount of money in compensatory and punitive damages. Also named in the suit are the National Broadcasting Co., MSNBC-TV and Westwood One Inc.
Imus could not be reached for comment.