The discovery battle in Connoisseur Media CEO Jeff Warshaw’s lawsuit against Soros Fund Management is intensifying, as Warshaw argues SFM’s sweeping document requests target competitor business records, mirroring the accusations SFM previously leveled against him.
In a September 29 filing in Stamford Superior Court, Warshaw objected to more than 20 separate requests for production from Soros Fund Management and co-defendant Michael Del Nin.
The hedge fund has previously argued that Warshaw’s legal demands for records related to the upcoming trial, spanning Audacy financials, FCC filings, and investment committee presentations, were an attempt to gain leverage over a rival broadcaster. Warshaw’s new response makes clear he believes the defense is attempting the same maneuver in reverse.
SFM is now asking him to produce communications with Del Nin and Soros Fund, board-level Connoisseur documents, records of his advisory work on Cox Radio and Audacy, and compensation agreements from prior distressed-debt deals. Alpha Media, the acquisition that vaulted Connoisseur into the top ten US radio groups, is specifically named in the requests.
Warshaw’s attorneys objected to the scope of those requests as “overly broad, unduly burdensome, and not proportionate to the needs of this action.”
He has agreed to a narrower production: relevant, non-privileged documents from August 1, 2022, through May 27, 2025, limited by a negotiated search protocol. Requests for Alpha Media acquisition documents, general compensation records, and expense reimbursements were flatly refused.
At the core of the lawsuit is Warshaw’s claim that Soros Head of Media Investments Michael Del Nin broke a verbal agreement tied to Audacy’s post-bankruptcy restructuring. Warshaw says Del Nin promised he would either be named Audacy’s CEO or receive a 5% share of Soros’ profits from the transaction in exchange for identifying the investment and advising on its execution.
The case is scheduled for jury trial in 2027, but with the scope of discovery still sharply contested, much of the battle may first play out in the hands of the court.
