After being fired by Fox News two weeks ago, Tucker Carlson has alleged fraud and contract violation by the network in a letter issued by his legal team on Tuesday.
This move is significant because Carlson’s demands for documentation could lead to legal action and potentially invalidate the noncompete clause in his contract. If successful, this would enable him to start his own rival show or media company.
In a video announcement on Tuesday, Carlson revealed his plan to bring his show to Twitter, stating that they would be presenting a new version of the show along with some other surprises. He also emphasized the importance of free speech. While this move by Carlson could potentially breach his contract with Fox, his legal team’s letter argues that Fox violated the agreement first.
According to sources, Carlson’s lawyers had already sent the letter before his announcement on Twitter.
A recent report revealed that Tucker Carlson, currently under contract with Fox News until January 2025, is feeling frustrated and planning to use his allies to pressure the network to allow him to work for or launch a right-wing rival. However, Fox wants to keep Carlson on its payroll, which would prevent him from starting a competing show. Carlson has reportedly received lucrative offers from various right-wing outlets and has discussed the possibility of collaboration with Elon Musk.
A letter from Carlson’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, to Fox officials Viet Dinh and Irena Briganti, Fox employees, including Rupert Murdoch himself, have intentionally and recklessly broken promises made to Carlson.
According to a letter sent by Tucker Carlson’s lawyer, Fox News executives (believed to be Viet Dinh and Rupert Murdoch) made promises or “material representations” to Carlson that were deliberately broken, which constitutes fraud. The letter also accuses Fox of violating an agreement not to leak Carlson’s private communications to the media and not to use his private messages against him for the adverse employment action. Various news outlets have reported on Carlson’s redacted communications from pre-trial discovery documents, which some speculate led to his ousting.
Additionally, the letter alleges that Fox broke promises not to settle with Dominion Voting Systems in a way that would implicate Carlson and not to take any actions in a settlement that would harm Carlson’s reputation. In a conversation with a member of the Fox board, Carlson was reportedly informed that he was removed from the air as part of the Dominion settlement.
Carlson’s lawyers argue that the misrepresentations made by Fox executives amount to a breach of contract because they created additional terms of Carlson’s employment that the company subsequently broke. The letter alleges that these actions “breached the covenant of good faith and fair dealing in the Agreement” and give rise to claims for breach of contract and intentional and negligent misrepresentation. A Fox News spokesperson denies that Carlson’s departure from the network was part of the Dominion settlement.
Carlson also accuses Irena Briganti, Fox’s longtime communications and PR chief, of attempting to undermine his future business prospects, which he claims would be another breach of his employment contract. The letter indicates that Carlson’s lawyers intend to subpoena Briganti’s cell phone records and related documents that evidence communications with her and all media, including The New York Times.
