The Elias Law Firm threatens to sue a former MMFA staffer for violating his 'Transition Agreement and General Release'

Just to follow up on this story we told you about yesterday, Tim Johnson, a former staffer for Media Matters for America, is being threatened with a lawsuit by the Elias Law Firm (yes, *that* Marc Elias) for breaching the “Transition Agreement and General Release” he signed in exchange for a severance package of some sort when he left the firm.

Or, in summary, a lib outlet is using a lib attorney to enforce an NDA to silence a lib former employee who made serious sexual misconduct allegations against his former lib boss:

Lol. Marc Elias’s firm, naturally https://t.co/V8krwdFf6U

— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) June 7, 2022

*And* they’re threatening to cut off his health insurance:

So the progressive Media Matters and @marceelias’s law firm are threatening to sue this guy and cut off his health insurance because he accused the company of covering up sexual misconduct https://t.co/V8krwdFf6U

— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) June 7, 2022

Amazing. Now NDAs to silence accusers are good?

Hold up. How many people at @mmfa called for accusers to be released from ndas?! https://t.co/UZ5QbJeAdK

— Greg Pollowitz (@GPollowitz) June 7, 2022

Here’s the first page of the letter Johnson received:

On behalf of my client Media Matters for America (*MMFA”), I am writing to inform you that
you are in violation of the Transition Agreement and General Release (*Agreement”) you signed
with MMFA on April 7, 2022, and demand that you immediately remove the Twitter thread you
posted this morning about MMFA and your former manager in breach of the Agreement.

As you know, MMFA separated your employment in April because your conduct did not meet
MMFA’s expectations as a result of such issues as abandoning work shifts without following
MMA’s notice procedures, and insubordinate and bullying communications directed toward your
coworkers. While MMFA was dissatisfied with your work, it wished to make your transition as
smooth as possible. To that end, MMFA offered you a transition agreement, which you accepted
and signed. Among other things, you agreed, as a condition of receiving a severance payment, that
you would not “directly or indirectly, disparage MMFA, its officers, directors, or employees, or
MMFA’s business, and will not encourage any third parties to do so.* See Section 6(D).

You have unquestionably violated this obligation. Most recently, around 8:29 a.m. this morning,
you Tweeted a series of claims about MMA, including an accusation that your former manager
Ben Dimiero “covered up for a man who preyed on our colleagues.” This assertion is false and
defamatory. Moreover, your Tweets indisputably disparage both MMFA and a current MMFA
employee in clear breach of the Agreement.

As a result of your actions, MMFA has suffered and will continue to suffer reputational injury.
MMFA expects that you will act immediately to remove the Twitter thread at issue and to cease
and desist from all further violations of your Agreement.

If you refuse to remove the Twitter thread at issue or fail to do so by the close of business today,
MMFA reserves its right to take further action to enforce the Agreement, including filing a lawsuit
against you to recover monetary damages. I also want to remind you of your obligations regarding
the confidentiality of the Agreement, as set forth in Section 6(C), including keeping the terms,
conditions, and details of the Agreement confidential.