Charlie Sheen's ANGER MANAGEMENT Producer Sued for $50 Million
Deadline.com reports that ANGER MANAGEMENT producer Joe Roth is being sued for fraud, breach of contract and misconduct by a producer who maintains that Roth reneged on a written agreement that was made during development of the upcoming FX comedy series.
Jason Shuman and Blue Star Entertainment filed the $50 million complaint this morning with the Los Angeles Superior Court. Shuman claims he was hired by Roth in 2008 as a consultant to examine Roth’s company Revolution Studios’ and to evaluate "which ones would be suitable for TV series adaptations." Among the properties Shuman focused on was Anger Management. In May 2011 he signed a written producer agreement for the project. Shuman further maintains that he "actively worked on the project for an year and a half until June 2011 when Roth stopped communication." Revolution announced its Anger Management series with Charlie Sheen one month later.
The lawsuit claims that Revolution refused to honor the agreement. “As a results of Defendants’ fraudulent actions and the breach of written producer agreement to develop Anger Management, plaintiffs have received no credit or compensation and have been damaged in the amount in excess of $50 million,” reads the complaint.
Commented Shuman's attorney Bryan Freedman, “Power and greed are legally inadequate justifications for Joe Roth intentionally failing to honor his contractual obligations. Our clients selected and developed the idea for a television series based on the motion picture Anger Management and worked for over two years on the production relying on a fully executed legally binding written agreement. When Roth realized he would be giving up a significant amount of his ownership interest to bring in Charlie Sheen, he suddenly suffered a self-induced state of amnesia with respect to his moral, ethical and legal duties. Make no mistake, this lawsuit will serve as a wakeup call.”
