Howard Stern is challenging a lawsuit against him from his former executive assistant, who’s suing for $2.5 million and a court order voiding her nondisclosure agreement.
In a bid to dismiss the case filed on Wednesday, Stern alleges the assistant, Leslie Kuhn, attempted to extract a hush-money payment from him and his production company before they sued. He denies claims that he fostered a hostile work environment, calling the lawsuit a shakedown.
“We are not going to play this out in public,” said Ilene Farkas, a lawyer for the SiriusXM host, in a statement. “The Sterns are entitled to enforce non-disclosure agreements signed by employees who enter their home and their private life, and they have filed a motion to address the lawsuit and the conduct of Ms. Kuhn and her lawyer.”
The legal battle started last month when Kuhn sued Stern, his wife and his production company, One Twelve. She was hired by SiriusXM in 2022 as an office manager for The Howard Stern Show and later became the host’s executive assistant. Earlier this year, she was terminated for cause over an undisclosed reason which she alleged was actually because of pressure caused by an animal foster group operated by Stern’s wife, according to the complaint.
At the center of the dispute: two separate confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements Kuhn alleged she never signed. The documents cover the personal affairs of anyone involved with One Twelve, including Stern’s family and friends, plus the host’s daily activities, personal habits and political affiliations, among other things. Kuhn seeks a court order declaring the agreements unenforceable so she can respond to “accusations made against her” and “protect her reputation and future employment prospects,” the lawsuit claimed
In Wednesday’s filing, Stern says he never intended to discuss Kuhn’s termination and planned to provide a neutral reference if asked. He cites evidence indicating that she knowingly signed the documents, pointing to an exchange in 2022 in which she sent The Howard Stern Show’s production manager a confidentiality agreement with her signature. And when asked to review a nondisclosure agreement in 2025, she wrote in an email, “Signed NDA attached,” according to the complaint.
The filing alleges that Stern notified Kuhn and her lawyer, John Leonard, of evidence showing that she signed the documents before she sued. He seeks a court order sanctioning them for allegedly weaponizing the legal process and lying to the court.
“The reason Kuhn filed this lawsuit was to pressure the Stern Parties into making an outlandish payment to make her go away,” the filing reads. “And the sole reason Kuhn’s termination has become a matter of public record is because Kuhn and her counsel chose to publicize it by filing this lawsuit and seeking to leverage the press.”
If Stern’s bid to dismiss the lawsuit is granted, the confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements will remain valid and enforceable. Under those documents, Kuhn will be barred from disclosing personal information, among other things, about the SiriusXM host.