Tucker Carlson's Lawyers Say Fox Violated Contract, Freeing Him From Non-Compete: Report

Axios obtained a copy of the letter, claiming “Rupert Murdoch himself” broke promises to the former prime-time host.
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Tucker Carlson’s attorneys accused Fox News of breach of contract and fraud in an aggressive letter sent to the network Tuesday, alleging the company’s actions free him from a non-compete clause, Axios reported.

The website said the letter, sent to Fox executives, alleges senior employees including “Rupert Murdoch himself” broke promises to the former prime-time host “intentionally and with reckless disregard for the truth.”

Axios added the letter, sent by attorney Bryan Freedman to Fox executives Viet Dinh and Irena Briganti, claims the network broke an agreement with Carlson to not to leak his private messages to the media. A series of damaging texts emerged during and after the defamation trial filed by Dominion Voting Systems, which reportedly played heavily into his dismissal.

“These actions not only breached the covenant of good faith and fair dealing in the Agreement, but give rise to claims for breach of contract, and intentional and negligent misrepresentation,” the letter reads.

Freedman did not respond to a request for comment.

The letter was sent just before Carlson announced on Twitter that he would launch a new version of his Fox News program on the social media giant, saying Elon Musk’s company was the last in the world that would allow him to speak. Doing so would appear to violate Carlson’s ongoing contract with Fox even after he was dismissed. The contract doesn’t expire until January 2025, and Fox could continue to pay him to keep him from launching his own enterprise or working for a competitor.

“Starting soon we’ll be bringing a new version of the show we’ve been doing for the last six and a half years to Twitter,” Carlson told his followers. “The best you can hope for in the news business at this point is the freedom to tell the fullest truth that you can. But there are always limits. And you know that if you bump up against those limits often enough, you will be fired for it. That’s not a guess — it’s guaranteed.”

Musk said after the announcement Twitter had not signed any type of deal with Carlson, although he added any user would be able to “interact, critique and refute whatever is said,” unlike the “one-way street of broadcast.”

“Tucker is subject to the same rules & rewards of all content creators,” Musk said. “Rewards means subscriptions and advertising revenue share (coming soon), which is a function of how many people subscribe and the advertising views associated with the content.”

He extended that pledge to “many others,” including those on the left.

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