Just weeks after she appeared on The View and told the world that she was pro-choice, conservative darling Tomi Lahren has filed a lawsuit against her employer Glenn Beck and his company. Lahren claims that she was wrongfully terminated after Beck suspended her for a week and was told by executives at The Blaze that she should not expect to return to the network.
According to the lawsuit filed in Texas, Lahren also claims that she was locked out of her social media accounts and was told by to remain silent.
The entire episode began in March, when during an appearance on The View, Lahren ham handedly explained that she was a pro-choice conservative libertarian … or something.
“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.”
Following the broadcast, Lahren immediately faced backlash from pro-life conservatives who found her explanation lacking. Glenn Beck addressed the issue on his program, making it clear that Lahren was allowed to hold any position she wished. However, he also made it clear that anyone employed at The Blaze must be able to defend their positions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqRfscGDBpQ
“I don’t hire people who are sycophants or who have my opinion. I try to hire people who have a different opinion because I believe in being intellectually rigorous. I don’t want straw men. I want people to make a real argument on the other side so we can learn from each other and we can grow … It takes intellectual honesty and it takes a willingness to actually think these things through, rather than just read Twitter or Facebook to get your news or political opinions … You actually have to study these things out with your mind. Bomb-throwing in today’s world is dangerous. It can destroy people if your aim is clicks, views and ratings.”
Lahren was then immediately suspended for a week but has not returned to her show since then.
Lahren’s lawsuit alleges that she was wrongfully terminated. Her attorney told CNN, “The fact of the matter is that she was wrongfully terminated. The contract simply doesn’t allow The Blaze to terminate her for expressing her personal opinion on the salient issue of abortion.”
According to the lawsuit:
Defendants knew that Plaintiff had expressed her personal view in this regard several times previously and they never took any issue with it. A few days later, however, Plaintiff was contacted by TBI’s (The Blaze Ince) Human Resources Director/Supervisor and advised that she was suspended indefinitely and that she need not return to TBI’s office(s), all because of her pro-choice opinions expressed on The View. Plaintiff was understandably disappointed, saddened, and in shock for being suspended for freely expressing her opinions, which certainly reconcile with what is the law of the land in the United States i.e., a woman’s constitutional right to choose and in no way inconsistent with any of Plaintiff’s obligations under the Employment Contract.
The entire lawsuit can be found here [PDF].
In a statement, The Blaze responded, saying, “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.”
On Friday, Lahren posted the following Tweet:
Lay down and play dead really isn't my style. #FinalThoughts
— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) April 7, 2017
To which Dan Proft appropriately replied:
No. Ignorance is. Mouthing the words is easy. Living one's stated beliefs is the difficult chore. Your job is not your birthright. https://t.co/4KQPinKOQA
— Dan Proft (@DanProft) April 9, 2017