Updated ,first published
Jackie “O” Henderson has followed her co-host Kyle Sandilands in taking their former employer ARN to court, after the pair’s $200 million contract was torn up this month.
ARN announced the news in a statement to the ASX on Tuesday morning, saying that Henderson is claiming to have been unlawfully sacked. ARN said Henderson made “psychosocial health and safety and bullying complaints” to the station in relation to Sandilands’ conduct toward her both on February 20, the day of their on-air stoush, and before then.
Henderson is demanding compensation of “at least” $82,250,000, claiming her contract was unfairly terminated after her representatives informed the company she could no longer work with Sandilands. ARN said it disputes Henderson’s claims and intends to defend the proceedings.
The proceedings have been filed in the Federal Court against Commonwealth Broadcasting Corporation Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of ARN which holds the licence for KIIS FM in Sydney.
Henderson’s statement of claim also alleges that the ASX announcement detailing her termination on March 3 included “misleading and deceptive statements” under Australian Consumer Law, the company said.
The application follows Sandilands’ own legal challenge, also accusing the company of unlawful termination this month after his contract was torn up two weeks after Henderson’s.
Sandilands’ case was heard for the first time in the Federal Court on Friday in Sydney, after his contract was torn up after an allegation of “serious misconduct” relating to his behaviour toward Henderson.
While the full details of Henderson’s statement of claim are currently unclear, the documents relating to Sandilands’ case, obtained by this masthead, said the broadcast in question on February 20 was “congruent with the style, tone and nature of the Show” and the robust character ARN “desired” from them.
Sandilands has claimed the exchange, in which he berated Henderson for being “off with the fairies”, was no different to past on-air blow-ups. Crucial to ARN’s defence will be the correspondence sent to the company by Henderson’s legal representatives on March 3. ARN’s lawyer Tom Blackburn SC told the court on Friday that the company’s claims of unconscionable conduct toward Henderson involved “prior conduct”, the company now expanding on those comments in Tuesday’s statement.
Representatives for Henderson were approached for comment.
With both hosts now claiming unlawful termination, ARN faces two costly legal fights, pushing it into further financial uncertainty. The company told investors it is unable to estimate the cost of either case at this stage.
Its share price fell by 3.5 per cent on Tuesday morning, now sitting at a record low of 28 cents, valuing the company at just $88 million.
Shares have fallen by 20 per cent since it announced the termination of Henderson’s contract earlier this month, and 70 per cent since announcing the duo’s contract extension in late 2023.
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Calum Jaspan is a media writer for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, based in Melbourne. Reach him securely on Signal @calumjaspan.10Connect via X or email.