The LawNewz Network, which combines studio commentary with live trial coverage, announced today that it’s acquired the trial-watching website CourtChatter.com in an all cash deal. The network launched in late February and is already welcoming over 2 million views per month.
Court Chatter, founded in 2013 by Cathy Russon, currently provides coverage of trials across the country via live video footage and documents. The site has more than 5,000 hours of archived footage, which LawNewz will incorporate into its own archive.
As part of the acquisition, Russon will join LawNewz as the site’s Senior Trial Producer. Russon will join a number of well-known legal hosts and analysts, including Beth Karras, Aaron Keller, and Heather Hansen.
“LawNewz Network has quickly become the go to place to watch live trials,” said Court Chatter Founder Cathy Russon. “I am thrilled to join the team and share my passion for trials with a larger audience.”
Dan Abrams, the founder and CEO of LawNewz and ABC News Chief Legal Analyst, pronounced that no one “knows high profile trials better than” Russon,” adding that “Court Chatter will give us the ability to provide a more complete social offering to LawNewz followers and the capability to better track, monitor and research ongoing trials.”
In its first two months, the LawNewz Network covered high-profile cases such as MMA fighter War Machine’s attempted murder trial and former NFL star Aaron Hernandez’s double-murder trial. It also provided live coverage of Neil Gorsuch’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing and has a full slate of trials ready to go for the summer.
The LawNewz Network is the video arm of this website LawNewz.com.