Conservative political commentator Tomi Lahren has sued radio host Glenn Beck and his company the Blaze, alleging wrongful termination after she expressed her views on abortion, and consequently breached their employment contract.
Lahren, 24, claims in a lawsuit filed Friday in a district court in Dallas County, Texas, that she was wrongly terminated after she voiced her opinion on abortion, and that Beck and other former colleagues at the Blaze launched a smear campaign against her.
In March, Lahren acknowledged on ABC’s The View that she was pro-choice, even though she is a conservative pundit. “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,” she said at the time.
Shortly afterward, according to court documents, she was suspended indefinitely from her position at The Blaze, then completely terminated. However, she was still being paid by the media organization and was ordered to remain silent on social media. The lawsuit alleges that The Blaze did not have the right to terminate her employment for this reason.
“Plaintiff 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,” the lawsuit states.
Lahren had a one-hour show on The Blaze that launched February 1 until her termination. Her author profile page is still active on The Blaze website.
The Blaze did not respond to request for comment.
