BREAKING: Project Veritas Is Suing Founder James O’Keefe

Project Veritas has initiated a lawsuit against its founder, alleging that James O’Keefe III was not dismissed and that he has breached his employment contract by establishing a new business. This accusation comes even though Project Veritas has ceased to compensate him.

Project Veritas is petitioning a federal court to bar James O’Keefe III from employment. In spite of not compensating James, they are contending in their legal action that he should be prohibited from working and his business should be closed down.

The lawsuit alleges that O’Keefe violated his duties to the plaintiffs, causing them significant damage. Additionally, the suit claims that Transparency 1, LLC, assisted in these violations. RC Maxwell and Anthony Iatropoulos, two individuals formerly associated with the plaintiffs, are alleged to have breached their contracts for the benefit of O’Keefe Media Group.

BREAKING: Project Veritas is suing its founder. They claim they never fired @JamesOKeefeIII and that he is in violation of his employment agreement by starting a new company – this is despite the fact that PV stopped paying him. [DEVELOPING] pic.twitter.com/KmJG5Afip0

— @amuse (@amuse) May 31, 2023

The lawsuit details accusations of professional and financial misconduct against O’Keefe. Here is a summary of their main points:

• Employment Agreement: O’Keefe entered into an employment agreement with Project Veritas that laid out terms and conditions for his employment, including non-disclosure, non-disparagement, full-time devotion to work, and exclusivity of work product rights to Project Veritas.
• Alleged Misconduct: There were serious allegations of misconduct against O’Keefe, including unprofessional behavior, belittlement of coworkers, particularly females, strained relationships with donors due to lateness and rudeness, and the use of company resources for personal benefits. He also allegedly used company funds for personal expenses, including lavish expenditures without clear business purposes.
• Suspension and Investigation: Upon becoming aware of these allegations, the Board of Directors of Project Veritas suspended O’Keefe from his duties, initiated an investigation, and restricted his access to company resources. O’Keefe was later removed from the board and his employment was formally terminated.

According to the lawsuit:

O’Keefe violated his Employment Agreement by initiating several activities. He established a new media organization, OMG, which had a similar mission and structure to Project Veritas, violating the Employment Agreement’s “Prohibited Outside Activities” provision. O’Keefe made multiple public appearances misrepresenting his exit from Project Veritas and used these opportunities to promote OMG.

O’Keefe reportedly took confidential donor lists and contact information from Project Veritas, utilizing these for OMG. He carried out a campaign to denigrate Project Veritas to its donors, and solicited them to support OMG instead. O’Keefe also tried to poach employees and contractors from Project Veritas for OMG.

O’Keefe is accused of making false and disparaging statements that were intended to discredit Project Veritas’ Board of Directors, which constitutes a breach of his Employment Agreement. The misappropriation of Project Veritas’s property, including donor lists and intellectual property, for use with OMG is also alleged.

The Employment Agreement stipulates that O’Keefe’s breach would cause “irreparable harm” to Project Veritas and that if an injunction is obtained, O’Keefe would be liable for the attorneys’ fees and costs incurred by Project Veritas. The plaintiffs have appealed to the court to order O’Keefe to comply with the terms of his Employment Agreement. They argue that if the court does not preliminarily prohibit O’Keefe and OMG from soliciting Project Veritas’s donors and employees, they may have solicited them all by the time a judgment is reached.