Katzenberg's Disney Fight Cost $270M

In 1994, American film producer Jeffrey Katzenberg was forced out of Disney after CEO Michael Eisner refused to promote him following company president Frank Wells's death. Katzenberg had helped oversee Disney's animation revival, which produced The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King, before he co-founded DreamWorks SKG with Steven Spielberg and David Geffen. In 1996, Katzenberg sued Disney for a contractual bonus tied to profits from projects produced during his 10-year tenure. Disney reportedly could have settled for $90 million, but the dispute ultimately cost the company nearly $270 million, excluding tens of millions in legal fees.

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