Conservative commentator Tomi Lahren is suing her former employer, conservative media network The Blaze, for wrongful termination, the Dallas Morning News first reported.
Lahren is also suing The Blaze’s founder, conservative radio host Glenn Beck, who “embarked on a public smear campaign attacking [Lahren] and chastising her political views and opinions in a clear attempt to embarrass, humiliate, and undermine Plaintiff’s reach to her audience on social media and elsewhere,” according to the lawsuit.
In addition to the wrongful termination charges, Lahren is suing for control of her Facebook page, over which she says Beck and The Blaze have retained control.
As news of the lawsuit was breaking late Friday afternoon, Lahren appeared to take a shot at Beck over Twitter.
“Lay down and play dead really isn’t my style,” she tweeted.
(Photo: Comedy Central screen grab)
“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,” a statement from The Blaze reads.
Lahren was suspended and then fired from The Blaze after calling pro-life conservatives “hypocrites” in an appearance on ABC’s “The View.”
“I can’t sit here and be a hypocrite and say I’m for limited government but I think the government should decide what women do with their bodies,” Lahren said, sparking backlash from conservatives.
Lahren, whose contract runs until September 30, was already on her way out before her appearance on “The View,” sources with direct knowledge of the situation have told The Daily Caller. Lahren frequently clashed with her coworkers, sources say, in part because of her inflammatory style.
The lawsuit claims Lahren “expressing her First Amendment rights and her personal opinions about a woman’s right to choose is not a ‘for cause’ ground to support either a suspension or a de-facto termination of Plaintiff’s employment.”
“Accordingly, as a proximate cause of [The Blaze’s] unlawful conduct, with the participation, concert, and/or encouragement of Beck, [The Blaze] has materially and wrongfully breached the Employment Contract, excusing [Lahren] from further performance thereunder,” the suit continues.
The lawsuit claims Lahren “had expressed her personal view” about abortion “several times previously and they never took any issue with it.” Lahren’s pro-choice comments on “The View” appeared to clash with her previous public positions, where she called abortion supporters “baby-killers.”
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Beck didn’t immediately return a request for comment. The Blaze’s managing editor, Leon Wolf, declined to comment.
This story has been updated with statement from The Blaze and additional information.