It may be one of the most talked-about stories of the summer, but it will be years before Connoisseur Media CEO Jeff Warshaw’s high-stakes legal dispute against Soros Fund Management and its Head of Media Investments, Michael Del Nin, heads to trial.
A new scheduling order from the Connecticut Superior Court sets key dates stretching into mid-2027.
While the parties must submit a proposed scheduling order by September 10, the next status conference is scheduled for February 27, 2026. No courtroom action is set to occur before the summer of 2027. A Trial Management Conference is scheduled for July 8, with jury selection set to begin on July 13. The trial itself, including the presentation of evidence, will commence on August 3, 2027.
The lawsuit centers on Warshaw’s claim that Del Nin reneged on a verbal agreement to appoint him CEO of Audacy following its exit from bankruptcy. Warshaw alleges that Del Nin promised him either the CEO role or a 5% share of SFM’s profits from the deal if Warshaw helped bring the investment opportunity to SFM and advised on its execution.
According to an amended complaint filed earlier this month, Warshaw then spent more than a year providing unpaid consulting from his Westport, Connecticut office, including guidance on FCC compliance and operational planning.
The complaint includes detailed accounts of 125 phone calls between Warshaw and Del Nin, including texts in which Del Nin used code phrases to signal urgency, and a dinner meeting in April 2024 where he allegedly reaffirmed the CEO promise. Warshaw says the relationship abruptly ended in fall 2024 after Audacy exited Chapter 11 with David Field still in place. When Warshaw sought clarification, Del Nin allegedly denied any agreement had existed and cut off contact.
In a sworn affidavit, Del Nin denied the allegations and called the alleged arrangement “implausible.” He acknowledged Warshaw’s advisory role during a separate 2023 Cox Radio opportunity but said no formal deal or merger plan with Warshaw was ever in place. He has petitioned the court to dismiss him from the case entirely.
With a trial now more than 700 days away, the case is unlikely to produce new public revelations or a resolution anytime soon. Barring a dismissal or settlement, most legal activity over the next 18 months will be confined to procedural motions and pretrial discovery.
