The case of the mysteriously disappearing media contract?

January 8, 2009 at 12:46AM

Whether or not Randy Meier had a signed contract to host the locally produced TV show "Blueprint for Green" has become the foundation for a Hennepin County lawsuit.

Meier is suing Kristin Geer, her production company Wall to Wall Media, and her husband, Bradley Geer, for, among other things, fraud, not living up to a written promise and destroying "Meier's employment agreement."

According to the lawsuit, when Meier was let go in November by the Geers due to a lack of sponsors for his show, he had a contract that didn't expire until September 2009. Meier probably assumed that as former KSTP-TV colleagues -- he was an anchor and she was a reporter then known as Kristin Stinar -- this new business venture would run smoothly. Apparently not.

"There is no contract," Kristin Geer told me Wednesday. "If there were a signed contract it would be a different story. Everything in that lawsuit is absurd. We deny all of the allegations. We're confident it's all going to come out in court."

Meier's lawyer Jim Kaster said, "This is the case of the mysterious disappearing contract. Randy doesn't work without a contract. He's been in TV for 25 years. The fact they have suddenly been unable to locate it doesn't affect its enforceability."

The lawsuit filed by the Nichols Kaster partner states that in October 2007 Meier was offered a written contract, with an annual base salary of $150,000, plus commissions on sales and other benefits, which "Meier signed and slid across Kristin Geer's desk to her."

The lawsuit also states that "on a number of occasions, Kristin Geer remarked to Meier that unlike some others at Wall to Wall Media, he was not an at-will employee."

In early November, the lawsuit states, the Geers called Meier and other employees in to a meeting to tell them that, due to economic conditions, they were being laid off immediately.

When the Geers were allegedly reminded by Meier that he had a written contract, "Kristin and Brad Geer denied that Meier and Wall to Wall Media had ever executed the written employment contract." The suit further states the Geers acted "with malice and bad faith" to destroy the contract.

Khloe and Shaddy Rashad McCants is seeing more court time with Khloe Kardashian than the Timberwolves these days.

Kardashian, a co-star of E! "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," posted an item on her website, at tinyurl.com/7xb29j, confirming her new relationship. "The rumors are true. His name is Rashad McCants and he plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves, hence my little freezing visit there with Malika, a few weeks ago, not to mention my other random visits there! Rashad and I have been dating since July, but it only got serious within the past few months."

She apologizes for not telling her fans sooner, but she wasn't sure where the "new and exciting" relationship was going. With McCants being a professional athlete, happily-ever-after is an absolute certainty.

Talking about the McCants-Kardashian hook-up on KFAN, Mark Rosen, the WCCO-TV sports anchor, disclosed that Rashad's coach has a pet name for the NBAer: Shaddy.

Depending on how this relationship flows, Khloe, not all ears can hear the difference between the pronunciations of Shaddy vs. Shoddy.

So long, Mr. Pohlad The late Twins owner Carl Pohlad, whose funeral is today, made the funniest unprintable quip one day at Morton's a couple years ago.

I had been seated in the second high back semicircle booth waiting for my lunch companion when Pohlad arrived. He took up residence in the first booth, his favorite. Lot of guys in suits came by to greet the banker and when one asked, Carl, how are you feeling today? Pohlad responded, with one word, spoken with great enthusiasm and vigor. Crappy! Well, that's a synonym for the word he used.

Pohlad responded to my condolence note regarding the 2003 passing of his wife, Eloise Pohlad, with a kind note and an invitation to lunch. I never took Pohlad up on that, but I'm pretty sure we'd have dined at Morton's. Rest well, Mr. Pohlad.

C.J. is at 612.332.TIPS or cj@startribune.com. E-mailers, please state a subject -- "Hello" doesn't count. Attachments are not opened, so don't even try. More of her attitude can be seen on FOX 9 Thursday mornings.

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