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Keith Olbermann's lawyer is coming out swinging against Al Gore and Current TV.
The tiny network, co-founded by the former vice president and Nobel laureate, announced Friday that it had fired the liberal host because he didn't share its "values" of respect and collegiality.
In response, Patty Glaser, a veteran litigator who represents Olbermann, blasted Current in a phone call with Show Tracker.
"Keith Olbermann's termination is baseless," she said. "We will sue them for their improper conduct. They made a bad decision; they can expect a bad result."
The war of words comes after Current informed Olbermann on Thursday morning that his services were no longer needed. A source familiar with the situation said bosses grew frustrated after Olbermann took repeated unexcused absences from his talk show "Countdown," including the night before the March 6 Super Tuesday primaries, when interest in his brand of political talk was at a premium.
The two sides tried to hammer out a settlement Thursday and into Friday, but with Olbermann insisting on tens of millions of dollars to pay out his contract, they remained far apart, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter.
Olbermann accused Gore and Current co-founder Joel Hyatt of a cynical money-saving move. "For more than a year I have been imploring Al Gore and Joel Hyatt to resolve our issues internally, while I've been not publicizing my complaints, and keeping the show alive for the sake of its loyal viewers and even more loyal staff," Olbermann tweeted. "Nevertheless, Mr. Gore and Mr. Hyatt, instead of abiding by their promises and obligations and investing in a quality news program, finally thought it was more economical to try to get out of my contract."
Olbermann's ouster comes just two months after Current bosses assured journalists that previous conflicts with Olbermann had been settled.
"We're fine," Gore told Show Tracker in January when asked about the Olbermann situation.
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Keith Olbermann sacked by Current
Al Gore looks beyond Current spat
— Scott Collins (twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT)
Photo: Keith Olbermann was fired by Current TV and now plans to sue, his lawyer says. Credit: Jason Kempin/Getty Images.?
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