Two weeks ago, news broke that the former CEO and founder of RadiumOne, Gurbaksh Chahal, pleaded guilty to one count of domestic-violence battery and one count of battery.
He was initially charged with 45 felonies for allegedly kicking and hitting his girlfriend 117 times on the morning of August 5, 2013. (Ultimately, Chahal pleaded guilty to just two misdemeanors, and he says the allegations against him were overblown.)
On Sunday morning, after a Twitter storm and a lot of negative press about Chahal, the board finally fired him.
Why did it take the board so long to get rid of Chahal even though he was charged with domestic violence almost one year ago?
In an internal memo obtained by Re/Code's Kara Swisher, RadiumOne CEO Bill Lonergan answers that question.
Lonergan writes:
"The board moved as decisively as it could given the complexities involved. A person is innocent until proven guilty. Given recent developments, it became clear that Gurbaksh’s ability to lead the company had been severely compromised by the legal proceedings and ensuing developments. The Board asked Gurbaksh to voluntarily tender his resignation in the best interests of the company. When it was clear that Gurbaksh did not intend to resign as CEO and Chairman, the board called a special meeting to terminate his employment."
Chahal remains on the board of RadiumOne, but Lonergan says he has no decision-making power. Lonergan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Head over to Re/Code to read the full memo.