EXCLUSIVE:The courthouse or the boardroom could be the next venue forSharyn AlfonsiandCBSNews now that the seasoned journalist has been pink-slipped not just from60 Minutesbut theBari Weiss-led division too.

One day aftergoing public with the end of her decade-long roleat the acclaimed newsmagazine show, Alfornsi has been shown the door atCBS Newsitself. Deadline can confirm. Alfonsi’s contract with the network was left to lapse.

The de facto firing of Alfonsi comes as would-be contrarian and controversy-courtingWeiss made long-anticipated sweeping changes at60 Minutesthis morning.Watch on Deadline

New York Timesalum Nick Bilton has been brought in as executive producer of the show, with Tanya Simon out ASAP. Havingalready lost a weary Anderson Cooper,60 Minutesalso has axed EP Draggan Mihailoivich, along with correspondent Cecilia Vega and Alfornsi. More changes in personnel as well as format are in the offing, sources close to events tell me.

RELATED:“I Hope ‘60 Minutes’ Remains ‘60 Minutes’”: Anderson Cooper Signs Off CBS Newsmagazine With Tribute To Its Quality And Independence

In terms of Alfonsi, who has been in a public squabble with Weiss for months overa60 Minutessegment critical of the Trump administrationwasspiked at the eleventh hour last year, the journalist might not be going so quietly.

A few weeks back Alfonsi hired hard-hitting litigatorBryan Freedman. With Freedman’s representation in pocket, events already are in motion that indicate a legal tussle is in the making — perhaps behind closed doors, perhaps not.

With Alfonsi’s for hire contract not renewed, the battleground will likely shift to the way she was treated at CBS News under Weiss’ less than a year old regime. Specifically, the manner in which Alfonsi’s work and objectivity was disparaged with the very public pulling of her CECOT piece. Additionally, the even more public hanging out to dry of Alfonsi late last year only accentuates any claims of ill treatment, toxic workplace or fail of leadership against CBS News if the journalist chooses to go that route.

And that’s why you hire a Bryan Freedman.

Best known of late for his role in thenow-somewhat-settledBlake Lively and Justin Baldoni dust-up, Freedman in many ways made his bones representing the likes of Megyn Kelly, Chris Cuomo and Tucker Carlson in ensuring their forced departures (to put it politely) from their respective networks ended up being lucrative for the hosts. Whether CBS News’ parent company, the David Ellison-owned Paramount, is willing to go to the mattresses over Alfonsi remains to be seen — or perhaps they will write a hefty check in the hope that Alfonsi and Freedman go away without going to court.

Source: Drudge Report