When a company is confronted with a potential scandal and considering whether to launch an investigation, general counsel tend to be involved in that decision—and for good reason. But what happens when the legal chief gets leapfrogged?

That question arose after CNN reported that The Walt Disney Co. general counsel and executive vice president Alan Braverman was “upset” with ABC News president Kim Godwin. Why? Godwin called for an independent probe of the company’s handling of sex assault allegations against former “Good Morning America” senior executive producer Michael Corn.