NEW YORK - Ed Schultz, host of MSNBC’s “The Ed Show” and self-proclaimed champion of labor unions and workers’ rights, is named in a federal lawsuit filed by his former partner and labor union official, Michael Queen of NBC.
http://www.kfgo.com/fm-headline-news.php?ID=0000004118Schultz is accused of fraud, breach of contract and other charges stemming from efforts to bring his talents to television. Mr. Queen, a broadcast engineer for NBC, first approached the late NBC Washington Bureau Chief Tim Russert with the idea of Schultz as a TV host. Queen then approached Mr. Schultz in January, 2008, and Schultz agreed to partner with Queen to create a TV opportunity. NBC veteran and legendary TV Director Max Schindler ( Meet the Press and the Today Show ) joined the project, only to quit shortly thereafter, citing ethical differences with Schultz. Among the many promises Schultz made to Queen was “any TV deal will obviously involve you. I will not do a TV deal without your involvement....” Tim Russert suggested Queen pitch the concept to MSNBC President Phil Griffin in April, 2008. Mr. Griffin initially turned the idea down, only to then hire Schultz nearly a year later, in March, 2009, to host “The Ed Show” (currently on MSNBC’s primetime weeknights).
After he was hired by MSNBC, Schultz met with Queen. Schultz personally assured Queen that he would pay Queen what he was owed. Since then Schultz has refused to honor those commitments to Mr. Queen. “We pitched the TV idea to various network executives, produced a TV pilot, secured an apartment in D.C. for Ed and his wife Wendy and even gave them a car to drive free for three months. We picked them up at the airport, and went shopping for them – all while helping them become millionaires, and we received nothing for our efforts!” said Queen.
Read the entire complaint here:
http://www.kfgo.com/pdf/ed-schultz-lawsuit.pdf