Six actors disputing contracts

Six cast members of Modern Family have filed a lawsuit against producer 20th Century Fox Television to void their contracts, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Sofia Vergara, Eric Stonestreet and Ed O’Neill filed the suit in Los Angeles Superior Court. O’Neill was not originally listed in the suit but later joined in a display of unity. The lawsuit points to California’s “7 Year Rule,” which prohibits personal services contracts that run beyond seven years, and claims the cast members’ current deals violate the rule.

Burrell, Bowen, Ferguson, Vergara and Stonestreet all reportedly earned around $65,000 per episode in Modern Family‘s third season, while O’Neill reportedly pulled in around $105,000 per episode. 20th Century Fox Television declined to comment.