Coldplay 'kiss cam' scandal: Can Astronomer fire HR head Kristin Cabot? Here's what legal experts say

The Coldplay concert in Boston, Massachusetts will remain in people's mind for a very long time. Not particularly for the performance of the British rock band but for the 'kiss scam' involving former Astronomer CEO, Andy Byron with his HR head, Kristin Cabot. The cameraman while capturing the performance during the concert suddenly panned towards Byron and Kristin Cabot cozying up, leading to the moment becoming viral.

The 'kiss scam' moment led to the company placing both Byron and Cabot on administrative leave pending an internal investigation on the potential breaches of company policies. Later, Byron stepped down from his position, and the company appointed COO Pete DeJoy as interim CEO.

Why is Cabot still holding position?

While Byron has resigned, Cabot, though on leave continues to hold the position. Therefore questions are being raised about why Cabot has not been asked to leave and is still listed on the company's leadership page.

According to legal experts, handling different roles in the company and the liability concerns could be few possible reasons for Astronomer not terminating Cabot publicly, reported the New York Post.

"In a real-world big company, you can't just fire someone because the headlines are ugly. There are likely contracts, internal investigations, and legal issues involved. If HR greenlit what happened with Coldplay, and there is a supporting paper trail, heads will likely roll. It just might take a few more days before the axe drops," said attorney Nicole Brenecki.

While another lawyer believes the termination should not be difficult given the circumstance, but said the company may be negotiating an exit agreement with her.

“If you were to look for a picture of ‘cause’ [for firing] in the dictionary, it would show a picture of the head of HR having a public affair with the CEO,” said Employment attorney William Cafaro to the New York Post.

Another legal expert opined that the company cannot just fire somebody based on ‘ugly’ headlines.

“In a real-world big company, you can’t just fire someone because the headlines are ugly,” said the expert.

What is the ‘kiss cam scandal’

Byron and Cabot were caught on camera sharing an intimate moment. The video set the internet on fire, and everyone has been talking about the incident. The video showed the duo enjoying the concert in an intimate pose when the camera zoomed in on them, and they panicked and hid. That's when everyone came to know that both were having an extramarital affair.

After the incident Byron's wife Megan Kerrigan reportedly removed Byron as her last name on her Facebook handle before deactivating the account.