by Kate Conger
The fight between advertising company RadiumOne and former CEO Gurbaksh Chahal has ended, according to a joint statement released today by the company and the Internet mogul.
The statement, which "reflects an agreement between RadiumOne and Gurbaksh Chahal to bring an end to all disputes they have had," indicates that Chahal will no longer seek his reinstatement as CEO of RadiumOne, as he previously asserted.
Chahal pleaded guilty in April to two misdemeanor counts of battery in connection with an attack against his girlfriend. Chahal was initially charged with 45 felonies for allegedly punching and kicking the woman more than 100 times during an argument in his San Francisco apartment. However, the charges were reduced after a judge barred from being played in court surveillance video of the incident taken from inside Chahal's apartment.
Chahal received three years' probation and is required to attend a domestic violence training class and perform community service.
His dispute with RadiumOne escalated publicly after his guilty plea, when he has fired by the company.
In a series of since-deleted blog posts, Chahal claimed the board of RadiumOne pressured him into his guilty plea and that he had not actually harmed his girlfriend.
"There is a difference between temper and domestic violence, and the truth of what actually happened is no where close to what the police claimed nor anywhere near what the online chatter and pundits are now making it out to be,"Chahal wrote.
Bill Lonergan, who replaced Chahal as CEO, fired back, "We cannot know for certain what Gurbaksh will do, and certainly hope he will take no action that hurts or distracts the company."
Lonergan also denied that the RadiumOne board had pressured Chahal to plead guilty.
Today's statement implies that RadiumOne's board supported the plea after all.
"RadiumOne board members along with many others supported Gurbaksh's decision to accept a misdemeanor plea instead of continuing the long court process for full acquittal for the sake of the company, its employees, and its customers," the statement said.
"The Board did not intend to hurt Gurbaksh or his family by its decision, and recognizes that Gurbaksh's termination made an already difficult situation for Gurbaksh and his family worse," the statement said. "Gurbaksh wishes the company the continued success that he knows is possible, and RadiumOne wishes Gurbaksh success in his pursuit of new opportunities."
Earlier this month, Chahal announced the debut of his new marketing company, Gravity4. In the announcement, he reflected on his departure from RadiumOne, writing, "Over the years I have faced and overcome numerous challenges. But nothing like those I have experienced this past year. Even in my darkest moments, however, I never had any doubt that it was all part of my journey. There was a purpose behind the ordeal—and that was to lead me to the creation of Gravity4."