Former Vice President Al Gore filed a lawsuit against the news group Al-Jazeera, claiming the Middle Eastern media organization broke its contract in the purchase of Gore's Current TV cable channel.

The suit centers around Al-Jazeera's failure to pay "tens of millions of dollars" remaining in the $500 million sale of the television network, according to a statement made by David Boies, the lawyer representing Gore and Current TV co-owner Joel Hyatt. Gore and Hyatt are filing the suit on behalf of the selling shareholders.

"Al-Jazeera America wants to give itself a discount on the purchase price that was agreed to nearly two years ago," Boies said. "We are asking the court to order Al-Jazeera America to stop wrongfully withholding the escrow funds that belong to Current's former shareholders."

The complaint was sealed by the Delaware Court of Chancery in Wilmington, where the case was filed. Gore as well as the other shareholders have asked to make the case public.

An Al-Jazeera America spokeswoman, Dawn Bridges, said the company's counsel was looking over the claims.

"We think it relates to a commercial dispute between former shareholders of Current Media and Al-Jazeera America," Bridges said. "We may have further comment once they've fully reviewed everything."

The deal was finalized in January 2013, giving Al-Jazeera an established base of 40 million households in the country. Reportedly, Gore's cut of the deal totaled $100 million.

The news network, which is supported by the government of Qatar, is in works to develop its 24-hour news channel, Al-Jazeera America. The media company has broadcast an English-language channel since 2006, but the new Current TV deal would help in its goal of breaking into American markets.

Al-Jazeera America is attempting to brand itself as an alternative to polarized or sensationalized news coverage than that other cable news networks.