LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Much of the cast of "Modern Family" sued to void their contract on ABC's Emmy-winning hit after rejecting the latest salary offer from 20th Century Fox Television.
Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet and Sofia Vergara said their contracts were illegal under California's Seven-Year Rule, which bars personal service contracts of more than seven years. The lawsuit doesn't mean the actors actually hope to leave the show - only that they are employing every tactic possible to earn more favorable terms.
"'Modern Family' has been a breakout critical and financial success," says the lawsuit, filed by attorney Jeff McFarland Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court. "That success, however, has been built upon a collection of illegal contracts."
The actors had been offered $150,000 per episode and a $50,000 bonus per episode for the upcoming fourth season, and $200,000 for the fifth season, a person familiar with the negotiations told TheWrap.
Ed O'Neill, the biggest name when the show began, negotiated a separate agreement from his castmates and earns more than they do. He is also negotiating his contract, but he did not, at least initially, join the group suit.
It was unclear from the lawsuit how much the actors currently make. Burrell, Bowen, Ferguson and Stonestreet say their contracts lock them in for seven years and allow them salary increases capped at 4 percent per year. Vergara's raises are capped at 5 percent per year, according to the suit.
Her agreement with the show is different from that of her coworkers because she had a holding deal after the cancellation of her short-lived 2007 ABC series "The Knights of Prosperity." She was paid $450,000 for the sole rights to her appearance in an ABC television series, and ABC compelled her to join "Modern Family" in 2008.
20th Television and ABC declined to comment.
The stakes are high for one of television's most-loved comedies: The two-time Emmy winner for Outstanding Comedy Series is ABC's top-rated show and is tied for television's fifth highest-rated show overall, averaging 7.1 million viewers in the key 18-49 demo and 10.5 million total viewers.
"Modern Family" has also helped ABC launch other shows, including the midseason hit "Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23."
The dispute comes nine months after a salary fight nearly ended another 20th Television show, "The Simpsons." The show's voice actor's agreed to have their salaries cut by a third, to $300,000 per episode, to keep the show going for at least two more seasons.
(Pamela Chelin contributed to this report)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/modern-family-cast-sues-void-contracts-salary-dispute-214806318.html
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