Sandilands Allegedly Hires $50K-A-Day Legal Team To Sue For Contract Payout

Notorious shock jock Kyle Sandilands is allegedly preparing to sue his employer, ARN, if they fire him, according to multiple inside sources.

Sandilands is currently in the midst of a 14-day suspension after he accused his former co-star,  Jackie “O” Henderson, of being “off with the fairies” during a segment where she was analysing Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s astrological chart.

The comment was evidently too much for Henderson, who quit the show at the start of this week saying she “cannot continue to work with Mr Kyle Sandilands.”

Earlier in the show, Sandilands belittled his colleagues on-air about their work ethic, telling one staff member, “We’re onto you that you’re doing hardly any work, you spend most of your time here eating and then down at the gay sauna.”

Speaking on the condition of anonymity to the Sydney Morning Herald, a source has said his lawyers have advised him he has a strong case against the radio company that owns the station KIIS FM.

While the content of Sandilands’ comments didn’t breach his agreement with ARN, Henderson’s withdrawal means the Kyle & Jackie O show cannot be delivered, and their contracts cannot be executed.

“The agreement with ARN acknowledges the type of performer Kyle is: that he’s robust and a maverick-type character, and that’s something ARN has traded on for many years and gotten a lot of success out of,” one source said.

“Kyle’s lawyers are also relying on the agreement he has with ARN that makes numerous mentions of his broadcasting style – and it also makes it very clear that anything that goes to air is ARN’s responsibility because they’ve got two full-time censors [operating on] a 30-second delay, so they’re OK-ing every piece of content that goes to air.”

While ARN has no cause to fire Sandilands, he still has eight years remaining on a $10 million a year contract, meaning he’ll likely return to the microphone later this month, or he’ll sue for the money owned to him under that contract which, with mitigation, comes down to around $40 million.

Sandilands has allegedly organised a legal team that costing $50,000 a day, with a source telling news.com.au that his lawyers could easily argue a case of volenti non fit iniuria, with ARN knowingly entering into an agreement with the 54-year-old despite the risk.