Mel Greig, one of the two radio DJs who made a prank call to the London hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge was being treated for morning sickness, is taking legal action against her employer, 2DayFM, saying the radio station failed to provide a safe workplace, Australian media has reported.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Greig’s lawyer filed a general protections application with Fair Work Australia on behalf of Greig against Southern Cross Austereo, the company that owns 2DayFM.
Greig has not been on air since her and co-host, Michael Christian called the hospital in December pretending to be William’s grandmother Queen Elizabeth and his father, the heir-to-the throne Prince Charles.
Despite unconvincing accents, Jacintha Saldanha, a 46-year-old mother-of-two put the DJs through to another nurse who gave an update on the duchess’s condition.
Saldanha was found hanged, police told a coroner’s inquest in London, days after the hoax call.
The DJ’s show was cancelled and the pair went into hiding after Saldanha killed herself. They appeared on Australian television to say Saldanha’s death had left them heartbroken.
Both Greig, 30, and Christian were relatively new to the station, with Greig joining in March and Christian having been in the job only a few days before the prank call after a career in regional radio.
Christian is now broadcasting on sister-station Fox FM in Melbourne.
The prank caused a frenzy of media coverage in Britain and around the world after officials announced Kate was pregnant with a future British king or queen.
Following a public backlash, Southern Cross promised to donate advertising revenue to a fund for Saldanha’s family with a minimum contribution of A$500,000 ($485,500).