The Walt Disney board voted unanimously in late 1996 to re-nominate Michael Ovitz for a three-year term as a director even though at least five of its senior members knew he was about to be fired, the Delaware chancery court heard on Monday.

Irwin Russell, the non-executive director who engineered both the hiring and firing of the former talent agent as Disney president, said that shortly after the November 25 board meeting, he was ordered to start negotiations for Mr Ovitz's exit.