Olbermann Files Suit Against Current TV
The war of words between Current TV and former employee Keith Olbermann has ended up where everyone expected it to: a courthouse. No one seems to have seen the actual complaint his lawyers filed in a Los Angeles Court on Thursday afternoon, but The Hollywood Reporter cites "sources" who say the suit will accuse Current of "breach of contract, sabotage and disparagement." Olbermann is being represented by well-known Hollywood lawyer Patty Glaser of Glaser Weil Fink Jacobs Howard Avchen & Shapiro. That explains the venue and also probably why it was mainly show business sites that first learned the suit had been filed. Early to the story have been E!, TMZ, as well as the aforementioned Hollywood Reporter, which points out that Olbermann was dismissed only one year into a five-year, $50 million contract. Olbermann himself, however, is not in L.A. He spent the day getting excited about Mets opening day at Citi Field where the hapless team managed to beat the Braves 1-0.
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Update (5:42 p.m. EDT): TMZ apparently now has a copy of the suit, from which it's starting to report:
In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Keith says, "After being enticed to leave MSNBC and come to Current with promised of editorial control, freedom from corporate influence and the professional support to produce a high-caliber political commentary show of the type his viewers have come to expect, Keith Olbermann was disheartened to discover Al Gore, Joel Hyatt and the management of Current are no more than dilettantes portraying entertainment industry executives."
Update (6 p.m. EDT): TMZ has posted a pdf copy of the suit, for your perusal. It's also reporting that Olbermann wants about $70 million.
