Ovitz Defends His Role in ABC Hiring, 'Kundun' GEORGETOWN, Del., Oct. 28 -- Plaintiffs in a shareholder lawsuit over former Walt Disney Co. president Michael Ovitz's \$140 million severance package attempted Thursday to portray Ovitz as a dishonest bumbler who botched the hiring of a major television executive and pushed the release of a movie that angered the Chinese government, damaging Disney's business prospects in the country.