Roger Friedman, the Fox News columnist who was sacked after reviewing a leaked copy of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, is taking his former employers to court

The US gossip writer who was fired after reviewing a leaked copy of X-Men Origins: Wolverine hit back at his former employer yesterday, slapping Fox News and its parent company News Corp with a $5m (£3m) claim for damages. For good measure, the lawsuit accuses Fox of "wilful, reckless, intentional and malicious" defamation.

Plaintiff Roger Friedman was sacked from his $250,000-a-year position on 4 April, two days after posting his review on the Fox News website. Friedman's dismissal was reportedly ordered by News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch, with a subsequent statement claiming that the company had "zero tolerance for any action that encourages and promotes piracy". Friedman's case was presumably not helped by the fact that Wolverine was itself a Fox production.

However, Friedman's suit insists that his unauthorised review was tacitly cleared by his editors at Fox News, and claims that News Corp is at fault for indirectly allowing the film to be leaked online. In recent months, Friedman has also suggested that his dismissal was prompted in part by pressure from the Church of Scientology. Friedman claims that the organisation objected to the critical tone of his columns and used its influence to have him removed.

In addition to the $5m claim, Friedman is also seeking $180,000 in lost wages.

The unfinished version of X-Men Origins: Wolverine appeared online at the end of March. At the time the film's star, Hugh Jackman, said that he was "heartbroken" by the leak and likened the incomplete version to "a Ferrari without the paint job".