Tomi Lahren, best known for her controversial conservative commentary gaining her digital stardom. If you have ever tuned in on this outspoken political commentator’s videos it will come to no surprise that Lahren is no pushover whatsoever, after having been taken off air following an appearance on “The View,” expressing her pro-choice view. Lahren is now suing her former network and Glenn Beck for wrongful termination. Lahren is suing for tortious interference, and asking the court for a declaration that she is not bound from seeking employment with “The Blaze’s” competitors.
One the top of her priorities as a digital creator focuses on the rights over her Facebook fan page. Last week, Lahren filed a breach of contract lawsuit against “The Blaze” and founder Glen Beck in Dallas County court. Lahren aims to cancel her contract, hinting at a possible non-competition clause which prevents her from working for a competitor before the end date of the contract. Lahren is also asking the court for a temporary restraining order to allow her to gain immediate and complete control over her Facebook page and other social media accounts.
In order to qualify for a temporary restraining order, a plaintiff must show that there is proximate cause from the defendant’s wrongdoing that results in irreparable harm and that there is no remedy at law. Lahren’s attorney argues that because she “has literally millions of followers on social media, she uses social media to interface with her audience, and, as a proximate cause of Defendants’ wrongful interference with this medium of communication, [Lahren] is being irreparably harmed, she has no adequate remedy at law, and she is entitled to a temporary and permanent injunction.” Adding to this, Lahren argues that since she was put on a “social media gag” subsequent to her suspension, Beck and her former employers at “The Blaze” took her silence as an advantageous publicity stunt to smear her branding since she was not able to publicly defend herself.
Lahren is also asking the court for a declaration that she can freely express her views regarding her side of her story since she did not sign an NDA. Her complaint argues that her firing was due to “a political-opinion litmus test” a violation of her contractual right to express her own opinions.
“The Blaze” subsequently responded stating “it is puzzling that an employee who remains under contract (and is still being paid) has sued us for being fired, especially when we continue to comply fully with the terms of our agreement with her.”
Notably, the value of social media presence in the modern digital era weighs heavily on employment issues. It will be interesting to see the resolution of this pending case.
Credit: Jessica Wong
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