‘Rust’ script supervisor lawsuit against Alec Baldwin can proceed, judge says A judge has agreed to keep a lawsuit filed by actor Alec Baldwin against a script supervisor’s boss alive
LOS ANGELES — A judge has agreed to keep a lawsuit filed by actor Alec Baldwin against a script supervisor’s boss alive.
The lawsuit, which claims that actor Michael K. Lehan retaliated against Baldwin for criticizing the actor’s script, was filed last year in Los Angeles County Superior Court by Baldwin’s legal counsel, Brian Monahan.
In his legal filing Monday, Monahan contended that Lehan retaliated against Baldwin as a result of Baldwin’s criticism of the script on NBC’s “Late Night” that aired Sept.15.
“This is not a case about the movie or the studio,” Monahan wrote in the court filing, “but rather this is a case about Michael Lehan, who is a supervisor at NBC who gave a very good performance in the supervision of Alec Baldwin’s show.”
In an attempt to stop the lawsuit, Lehan’s attorney, James C. Healy, wrote a letter to the court. He said Lehan had no knowledge of the lawsuit until Monahan filed it last year.
“If you are going to try to take the law in your hands, this will have to be a process,” In. Monahan wrote. “We have asked for sanctions in the past and it has been denied, and now that the litigation is going forward we will seek sanctions.”
The judge has not yet set a hearing date for arguments on the lawsuit.
Monahan is asking Baldwin to pay $3 million in damages for violating California’s False Claims Act.
In his lawsuit, Baldwin alleges that Lehan told him to “get your hands off my show,” that NBC canceled Baldwin’s show after Baldwin complained about the script and that he got a “nonsensical” assignment from Lehan to make a movie instead.
To support his claim, Baldwin submitted four pages of text messages between himself and Lehan. He also provided copies of his text messages with other NBC executives.
Baldwin is suing for two violations of the False Claims Act, claiming $10 million in damages for false claims he alleged Lehan filed a claim for unpaid overtime for Baldwin’s show in 2012 and falsely alleged that Baldwin was fired when NBC fired Baldwin in a meeting on July 12, 2013.
Monahan also took issue with a settlement agreement Lehan had
