LISTEN HERE:
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson has accused the network of fraud and breach of contract, two weeks after his ousting. In a letter from his lawyers to Fox, Carlson claims that the noncompete provision in his contract is no longer valid due to Fox’s breach of contract, which would free him to launch his own competing show or media enterprise.
The move to announce his new show on Twitter may technically violate his contract with Fox, but his lawyers argue that Fox breached the contract first, justifying his actions.
The letter from Carlson’s lawyers accuses Fox executives, including Rupert Murdoch, of intentionally breaking promises made to Carlson, constituting fraud. The letter also alleges that Fox breached an agreement not to leak Carlson’s private communications to the media or use his private messages to take any adverse employment action against him.
The communication between Carlson and Fox has been the subject of media scrutiny, with reports suggesting that they led to his ousting.
Whoa. If it’s true that Dominion forced Fox to fire Tucker, every red state legislator in America should move to ban them from administering their elections. No company that makes such partisan, ideological demands can be trusted to run impartial ballot counting. https://t.co/dbTb9TSeL5
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) May 9, 2023
The letter also accuses Fox of breaking promises not to settle with Dominion Voting Systems in a way that would indicate wrongdoing on Carlson’s part or harm his reputation. Carlson was told by a member of the Fox board that he was taken off the air as part of the Dominion settlement.
Carlson’s lawyers argue that the alleged misrepresentations amount to a breach of contract, creating additional terms of Carlson’s employment that were then broken by Fox.
The lawyers demand that Fox take immediate steps to preserve all existing documents and data relevant to its relationship with Carlson, including correspondence between top executives and several media outlets, as Carlson is considering litigation against the network to resolve these disputes.
Carlson also claims that Fox’s communications and PR chief, Irena Briganti, attempted to undermine his future business prospects, which would constitute another breach of his employment contract. Carlson’s lawyers intend to subpoena Briganti’s cell phone records and related documents to evidence communications with her and all media.
This case highlights the importance of contracts and the implications of breach of contract, especially in high-profile media and entertainment industries.
The outcome of this dispute between Carlson and Fox could set precedents for noncompete clauses and contractual obligations in the industry.