Howard Stern I Sternly Believe ... This Lawsuit's a Sham!!!

Published May 1, 2026 8:22 AM PDT

Howard Stern is firing back at the ex-employee who claimed the shock jock created a hostile work environment.

On Wednesday, Stern filed to dismiss former assistant Leslie Kuhn's lawsuit, calling it a "shakedown" and "transparent sham" ... according to court docs obtained by multiple outlets.

In his motion, HS claims she's after a "hush-money payment," saying in the motion ... "The reason Kuhn filed this lawsuit was to pressure the Stern Parties into making an outlandish payment to make her go away."

Earlier this month, Leslie filed a lawsuit against Howard and his wife, Beth Stern, alleging they treated her like crap while she worked as an executive assistant in their Southampton, NY mansion.

She says she started as Howard's office manager in 2022 and moved into her new role in 2024 ... but was sacked earlier this year.

Her suit claims she was fired over immense pressures created by Beth's at-home cat rescue and fostering operation ... which she claims to have managed in addition to overseeing the mansion's staff's schedule and payroll.

Leslie also alleges the confidentiality agreements she signed with Howard and Beth are unenforceable, so she should be allowed to speak freely about her employment and protect her own reputation from any attacks.

Howard, however, claims in his motion that her reputation wouldn't have needed protection if she hadn't gone public with her lawsuit.

His filing says ... "There was no smear campaign, no actual or threatened disclosure, and no reputational attack. None."

Leslie wants some big bucks out of this suit ... asking for at least $2.5M in damages.