‘If you buy Kyle, you get Kyle’: Sandilands’ lawyer defends sacked Kiis FM shock jock in Sydney court | Australian media
Kyle Sandilands’ behavior may not have been “nice” but “if you buy Kyle, you buy Kyle”, a federal court heard a high-profile legal battle the fired shock jock described as “pretty ugly”.
Sandilands barrister Scott Robertson SC told the court that the allegations about Sandilands’ conduct “may be regarded as serious misconduct for the purposes of employment law” but they were not “serious misconduct for the purposes of this particular contract”.
“If you buy Kyle, you buy Kyle,” Robertson said. “The conduct that he engaged in was desirable, contractually desirable conduct, that’s the word in the contract, and it was indeed money-making conduct.”
ARN alleged Sandilands repeatedly berated Kiis FM managers, the radio station’s censors, critics of the Kyle and Jackie O Show and Melbourne audiences with expletive-laden remarks amounting to serious misconduct.
“And although I don’t like this behavior – I sit here as a citizen, looking [it] And I say that’s not nice behavior, it’s not the kind of behavior I think someone should do – [but] does not constitute conduct that entitles defendants to [ARN] To terminate this contract.”
The former Kiis FM breakfast presenter described his $85 million legal battle against ARN Media as “pretty outrageous” as he arrived at the federal court in Sydney in front of a major media group in a Rolls-Royce.
Sandilands attended the joint cause hearing, but former on-air partner Jackie “O” Henderson did not. Both are suing ARN Media for more than $80 million in damages.
He again called on ARN Media to return him to radio, where he earned $10 million a year for 10 years before he was sacked for serious misconduct last month.
A reporter asked: “How much more ugly is this going to get?” he asked, and Sandilands replied: “It’s pretty ugly now.”
His message to ARN: “Get me back on the radio and let’s get share prices up again.”
When asked if he had spoken to Henderson, he said he had not.
ARN is seeking damages from the duo for breach of their separate $100 million contract and loss of advertising revenue.
ARN Media alleges Sandilands breached her contract by repeatedly berating colleagues and viewers on air.
Judge Angus Stewart will conduct the second case management hearing despite the applicants bringing separate claims against ARN.
Sandilands told the waiting media that he did not have any strategy, he just wanted the truth to come out.
Robertson said he opposed a joint hearing with Henderson because it could delay his client’s trial, which could undermine procedural fairness.
Robertson argued that the longer Sandilands was off air, the more disadvantageous it was to him as viewers could switch to another programme.
He described the defense document, published by the ARN on Thursday, as a “kitchen sink defence” containing additional allegations against Sandilands.
“This isn’t just a case about money,” Robertson said. “Mr Sandilands wants to get in front of the microphone… This is not the opera singer who doesn’t want to sing. This is the broadcaster and performer who wants to get behind the microphone as soon as possible.”
