Another day, another chapter in the Thomas Gibson / Criminal Minds saga.
As we reported yesterday, a number of staffers who worked on Criminal Minds came forward to Variety and spoke about Gibson's presence, with one describing it as a "dark cloud" over the set. Now, it looks like Gibson is preparing to fight back.
It's been confirmed by THR that the actor has hired a top law firm in Hollywood - Miller Barodness LLP - in a potential lawsuit against CBS and ABC, the studios behind Criminal Minds. Gibson, who reportedly made $5,000,000 on the last season of Criminal Minds, was fired from the show just two episodes into the new season over a disagreement, which allegedly turned physical, with a writer-producer.
The writer-producer, Virgil Williams, filed a formal complaint with executives and Gibson was then suspended and dismissed at a later date. Gibson's legal team is now said to be examining the case.
This, of course, all has echoes of Charlie Sheen's 2011 case against Chuck Lorre and the production behind Two And A Half Men. Sheen filed a $100 million lawsuit against CBS after he was dismissed for 'erratic behaviour'. In his suit, Sheen claimed that the dismissal damaged his reputation and that he "suffered the intangible loss of employment-related opportunities." Sheen's case was settled out of court and the settlement figure was not disclosed publicly, however it was rumoured to be well over $25,000,000 as well as profits from syndication.
Currently, Miller Barodness LLP are investigating Gibson's case to determine if a suit can be brought against CBS and ABC. If Gibson and his legal team move forward with the case, it's likely that many of the cast members, writers and directors on the show will be brought in for deposition. As previously mentioned, many of the staffers and cast on the show are reportedly siding with Williams over Gibson.
Via THR
