BET’s Being Mary Jane has become a hit for the network. Fans have watched the star of the show, Gabrielle Union, share quick snaps of her behind-the-scenes via social media. What fans didn’t see coming was the announcement that Union was filing suit against the network. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Union describes how she believes the network is trying to squeeze more episodes out of her contract.
According to her complaint, BET promised that it would never shoot more than 13 episodes per season. However, Union says the network is now attempting to shoot two 10-episode seasons back-to-back (combining seasons four and five into a single season), which “fraudulently extends her contract.” Martin Singer, Union’s attorney, spoke out about the actions of BET to further explain his client’s allegations against the network. According to Singer, by BET combining seasons four and five, they are trying to avoid paying Union’s contractual raise and attempting to keep her with the show for another year. Her contract states that Union is set to receive $150,000 per episode for season four and $165,000 per episode for season five.
Update: BET has responded. In statement, the network says “While we hold Gabrielle Union in the highest esteem, we feel strongly that we are contractually well within our rights and are committed to reaching a swift and positive resolution in this matter.”
