Al Gore sued over sale of Current to Al Jazeera

A lawsuit filed Tuesday against Al Gore claims the former vice president stole the idea to sell his cable network to Al Jazeera, according to a story in the Hollywood Reporter.

The lawsuit, filed in San Francisco superior court by media consultant John Terenzio, charges that he first proposed the idea of Al Jazeera buying Current TV as part of a bid to increase their footprint in the United States. Earlier this year, Gore sold his cable network to the Qatari media conglomerate for $500 million.

According to the lawsuit, Terenzio said he approached Current investors with the pitch to sell the network to Al Jazeera under the understanding he would be compensated in an eventual buyout. But, Terenzio charges, the deal was scuttled when Gore expressed opposition to the idea.

"Gore was adamant in his rejection of the proposal to sell his liberal, environmentally friendly network to the oil-rich Quataris who owned Al Jazeera," the filing argues. "Apparently, Gore had a change of heart."

The lawsuit goes on to argue that Gore's reversal and the sale of Current was "motivated by Terenzio's presentation and that the transaction was patterned on the structure proposed to [Current investor Richard] Blum."

Terenzio is seeking $5 million in damages, equivalent to 1 percent of the total sale price for the network.

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