The salary dispute between “Modern Family”
cast and 20th Century Fox Television has turned uglier. After rejecting
the offer made by the producer, Sofia Vergara, Jesse Tyler Ferguson,
Eric Stonestreet, Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell have filed a lawsuit
against the company.
According to the complaint filed in Los Angeles
Superior Court, the five actors claim Fox violates the “7-Year Rule”
under California Labor Code section 2855 (a). The lawsuit says, “That
provision dictates that contracts to render personal service may not be
enforced beyond seven years from the commencement of service under it.”
Ed O’Neill, who was the only adult actor not
taking part in the initial filing, has reportedly decided to join his
co-stars in the lawsuit. The Jay Pritchett depicter is negotiating his
contract separately and has been paid more than other cast members, but
he is said to have joined the suit out of solidarity.
Vergara, Ferguson, Stonestreet, Bowen and
Burrell, who allegedly made $65,000 an episode in the third season, were
offered $150,000 per episode plus a $50,000 per episode bonus for
season 4, $200,000 per episode for season 5, $225,000 for season 6, and
up to $325,000 for an anticipated season 9, sources said. However, they
reportedly want bigger paychecks, believing the show has been a money
machine for ABC.
Due to the contract dispute, a table read which
was scheduled for Tuesday at 11:30 A.M. was canceled at the last
minute. An insider said O’Neill was the only adult actor who showed up
for the script session.
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