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After Abrupt Exit From Fox News, Greta’s Husband Hints at Legal Action

 

greta-300x196-650x425-300x196By now, you’ve heard that Greta Van Susteren is leaving Fox News after 14 years. Fox made the announcement just minutes after news broke about the network’s $20 million dollar settlement with former anchor Gretchen Carlson. There is a cloud of suspicion over why Greta would leave so abruptly. Now, we are learning a bit more about the circumstances. For one, there are several reports that she left over a disagreement about finances. Here’s what’s interesting: Greta’s contract was apparently not up. However, she has a clause in her deal that’s called a “key man clause.” That means if Roger Ailes leaves, she can exercise her right to leave. And that’s exactly what’s she done. Her husband also hinted that there may be future legal action.

The New York Times spoke with Greta’s husband, John P. Coale, on the phone, and pay attention to this key section:

Ms. Van Susteren’s husband, John P. Coale, said in a phone interview on Tuesday that his wife exercised what is known as “key man clause’’ on Friday, which allowed her to leave if Mr. Ailes was not in control.

He said, “There’s so much chaos, it’s very hard to work there.” He said the timing of her departure with the announcement of the settlement with Ms. Carlson was a “coincidence.”

Asked about why she had exercised the key man clause, he said, “There’s more than meets the eye” and that there “might be litigation in the future” so he did not want to talk further.

The Times doesn’t clarify what the legal action would entail. We can only assume this means she may take legal action against Fox News, regarding a dispute with her contract. We will keep you posted if we get more information.

Update: We have changed the headline on this article to more accurately reflect Mr. Coale’s comments. 

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Rachel Stockman is President of Law&Crime which includes Law&Crime Productions, Law&Crime Network and LawAndCrime.com. Under her watch, the company has grown from just a handful of people to a robust production company and network producing dozens of true crime shows a year in partnership with major networks. She also currently serves as Executive Producer of Court Cam, a hit show on A&E, and I Survived a Crime, a new crime show premiering on A&E this fall. She also oversees production of a new daily syndicated show Law&Crime Daily, which is produced in conjunction with Litton Entertainment. In addition to these shows, her network and production company produce programs for Facebook Watch, Cineflix and others. She has spent years covering courts and legal issues, and was named Atlanta Press Club's 'Rising Star' in 2014. Rachel graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and Yale Law School.