Controversial MAFS groom Bryce Ruthven is reportedly demanding $200,000 settlement payment from the Australian Radio Network (ARN) for apparently offering him a job contract in May but taking the offer back after he’d signed.
According to documents obtained by The Herald Sun, Ruthven is claiming ARN breached its contract and that he’s suffered a loss of earnings along with damage to his reputation and emotional stress.
“I wasn’t in a good place for a few weeks, to be honest,” he said.
Apparently, Ruthven along with his fiancée Melissa Rawson and their newborn twins had already made plans to move from Melbourne to Tasmania for the job at Launceston radio station, Chilli FM.
Ruthven claimed he also quit his job for the radio position.
“Our Client has suffered loss amounting to an estimated sum of $333,300.00 being the total of: $77,000.00, as the annual salary that was promised by ARN as a part of the offer; $53,000.00, as eight months’ salary which our client’s partner is now going without, due to requesting unpaid leave from her (employer) until 16 January 2023 to relocate to Launceston; $200,000.00, as the estimated loss for the damage to our client’s reputation and likely inability to gain employment in the radio industry in the future due to the conduct of ARN/Chilli FM and the nature of the radio industry; and $3300.00 for legal fees,” the letter of demand read.
“However … our client is willing to accept, in full and final settlement of any claim they have against you, payment of $200,000.00.”
DSA Law Partner Joseph Alesci said Ruthven had been “ready, willing and able to perform the contract and he has been prevented from doing so.”
“There has been an offer from the Australian Radio Network, our client has clearly accepted that, and in reliance of that offer our client made arrangements and acted to his detriment and that included not taking up other offers of employment and making arrangements to move interstate,” Alesci said.
“For some reason there has been a change of heart. Anyone can change their mind but there are consequences for doing that.
“Clearly ARN thought there was an arrangement in place otherwise they would not have bought him tickets on The Spirit of Tasmania to allow him to start moving.”
Meanwhile, ARN said in a statement to The Herald Sun: “We confirm we have received a letter of demand. Given this is now a legal matter we are unable to comment further.”
Monday’s podcast episode of So Dramatic! rehashed exactly why Ruthven lost the job in Tasmania and was later denied another job in Newcastle when he went crawling back.
Apparently, when Ruthven bailed on a job offer in Newy and accepted the breakfast radio gig in Launceston back in May, it was quickly revoked after the DJ he was meant to replace approached the “big regional boss of ARN” and kicked up a stink about it.
A source told So Dramatic! the Launceston host asked the regional boss why Ruthven had been hired to replace him after he had previously stressed the MAFS villain was not to be given a job at the station.
It’s reported that word had gotten back to the outgoing DJ after Ruthven had gone around telling everyone who would listen that he was moving to Tassie and would be available to MC events there. Those venues then got in touch with his predecessor to ask WTF was going on with the restructure at Chilli FM.
Bryce Ruthven’s contract was cancelled “then and there”, So Dramatic! reported.
After he was dropped from the Launceston station, Ruthven apparently tried to go back to his original offer at Newcastle’s NEWFM. They were not having a bar of it.
So Dramatic!‘s source said the bosses had taken the original offer off the table after he’d dogged them for the Tassie gig.
“They turned around and said, ‘You already turned us down for another gig… You’re obviously not committed to coming here so we don’t want you now. The offer is now off the table’,” the source said.
“They also told him to stop applying for roles because he will never work for the company again.”
Well that’s one way to get yourself blacklisted, isn’t it.
