Gabrielle Union files $1 million breach of contract lawsuit against BET over critically acclaimed Being Mary Jane
Gabrielle Union filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against BET over her Being Mary Jane contract.
The 42-year-old actress claimed the network has combined seasons four and five of the show to extend her contract and lower her pay, according to an article on Tuesday by The Hollywood Reporter.
Union has been starring as TV news anchor Mary Jane Paul since 2013 in the critically acclaimed series.
Contract dispute: Gabrielle Union, shown in a 2014 still from Being Mary Jane, sued BET on Tuesday over a contract dispute involving the show
The actress in the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court claimed the network agreed it would never produce more than 13 episodes per season.
BET was attempting to film two 10-episode seasons consecutively to 'cram all of the episodes into a single season in order to fraudulently extend the term of Ms. Union's contract,' the lawsuit stated.
Union under her contract was set to receive $150,000 per episode for season four and $165,000 per episode for season five.
She was suing the network and Breakdown Productions for negligent misrepresentation and breach of contract.
Critically acclaimed: The actress is shown in February 2015 at the NAACP Image Awards in Pasadena where she was nominated for her work on Being Mary Jane
Being Mary Jane lost its showrunner after season three concluded in June 2015.
Season four did not start filming until last month.
Union was told a week before filming started that BET planned to run all 20 episodes as season four, according to the lawsuit.
Good times: The actress is shown with Keegan-Michael Key in February at the NAACP Image Awards in Pasadena where Being Mary Jane was up for multiple awards
Cute couple: Gabrielle is shown in August 2015 with husband Dwyane Wade in West Hollywood, California
The lawsuit claimed that BET assured Union she wouldn't be required to appear in more than 13 episodes per season.
A corporate policy required in her contract included a provison that allowed for a minimum of 10 episode and a maximum of 26 episodes.
BET produced eight episodes in the show's first season and 12 in its second.
Union was seeking damages of at least $1 million and an order amending her contract to enforce the 13-episode maximum.
She landed the cover: Union appears on the November cover of Essence
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