Al Gore Sued For Current TV Deal with Oil-Rich Al Jazeera, Former Vice President 'Stole' John Terenzio's Idea

Los Angeles television consultant John Terenzio is suing former Vice President Al Gore over claims that Gore stole his idea to sell the struggling Current TV network to Qatar-based news organization Al-Jazeera.

Al-Jazeera announced on January 3 that it was buying Current TV for the hefty sum of $500 million dollars. Terenzio, who claims the sale was his idea and that he was not compensated for it, filed a suit in San Francisco Superior Court on Tuesday demand $5 million dollars in damages.

Terenzio says he  created a detailed PowerPoint presentation outlining the plan to Current TV board member Richard Blum last July. He says that Blum was open to the idea but worried that network co-founder Gore would veto it because a deal with the government of Qatar could be "politically unappealing."

Terenzio says the PowerPoint was "a step-by-step approach for making the sale of the liberal media outlet to Al-Jazeera palatable to U.S. lawmakers, pro-Israel factions, cable operators and, most importantly, the American public."

Investors, who were eager to recoup some of their investment in the flailing liberal network, seemed taken with the idea. However, Terenzio was told that his plans were not implemented. Terenzio's lawyer Ellen Garofalo says that an unnamed insider told her that Gore personally rejected the proposal.

Current TV was formed in 2005 and in spite landing of big name, opinionated newscasters like Keith Olbermann, failed to find an audience.

Al-Jazeera has had trouble entering into American markets as many cable providers are wary of being associated with the network. Al-Jazeera plans to use Current TV's established place on the dial and rebrand the network as Al-Jazeera America.

Terenzio said the first he had heard of the sale to Al-Jazeera was their January announcement.

Gore, Blum and other Current TV investors have yet to comment on the lawsuit.