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Current TV Fires Back at Keith Olbermann with Countersuit

By Andrew Chow, Esq. on April 09, 2012 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Current TV wasted no time in firing back at former "Countdown" host Keith Olbermann's lawsuit, filing a countersuit that uses the disgruntled anchorman's own words against him, Politico reports.

Olbermann, who filed suit against his former bosses at Current on April 5 -- seeking more than $50 million for alleged contract breaches that led to his firing -- went on CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman" to discuss his predicament April 3.

"I screwed up really big on this," Olbermann said on the show, according to CBS News. "It's my fault that it didn't succeed in the sense that I didn't think the whole thing through."

Those words may be coming back to bite him.

Current TV's countersuit, filed one day after Keith Olbermann's lawsuit, quotes Olbermann's "I screwed up" and "It's my fault" comments last week.

"Two days later," the countersuit states, Olbermann "apparently forgot what he said, filing a frivolous Complaint riddled with falsehoods and distortions in which he refused to take any responsibility whatsoever for that termination."

In a countersuit, a party who's the target of an original lawsuit asserts a legal claim against the plaintiff making the original claim.

If the countersuit arises from the same incident as the original lawsuit, it may be considered "compulsory" -- meaning it must be brought now, while the original lawsuit is being considered. If not, it's possible those same-incident claims may be waived forever.

Current's countersuit alleges it was Olbermann who breached the parties' contract -- reportedly a five-year, $50 million deal, according to the New York Daily News.

Current TV's countersuit seeks a judicial declaration that the channel owes nothing to Keith Olbermann. Further, Current's Answer to Olbermann's lawsuit states the company denies all of the anchor's accusations. Stay tuned.

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