Sheen's lawyer Martin Singer submitted the court document, which states: ''Defendant Chuck Lorre believes himself to be so wealthy and powerful that he can unilaterally decide to take money away from the dedicated cast and crew of 'Two and a Half Men' in order to serve his own ego and self-interest.''
Singer also alleges there was a conspiracy between Lorre and Warner Bros. to blame Sheen for the cancellation. Additionally, the lawsuit claims the decision to cancel the last eight episodes of the show was made before Sheen went public with accusations against the producers, and that Sheen was fired when he was sick, which is in violation of federal and California state law.
Sheen's contract with WB includes a broad arbitration clause, which the actor is trying to get past, in order to litigate the case publicly against Lorre in court. Sheen's lawyer will try to achieve this in perhaps a number of ways.
''Sheen's lawyers will try to argue that this lawsuit arises out of the conduct of Chuck Lorre, who doesn't have a contract with Sheen,'' said well-known entertainment litigator Larry Stein, in a recent article at The Hollywood Reporter.com. ''That way they hope the judge will keep this case separate.''
Sheen is also claiming the agreement WBTV and Lorre reached included promises that would ultimately benefit him, and these promises are now being broken.
According to Aaron Moss, chair of the litigation group at Greenberg Glusker, a full service law firm in Los Angeles specializing in entertainment and real estate law, ''This type of claim is typically seen in the insurance world. An insurance company might strike a deal with a policy holder that would pay out to another party.'' However, ''in those cases, the benefit is explicitly defined and both sides agree in writing about the intention to benefit the other person.''
Arbitration seems like the likely course of action, but in the unreal reality that's unfolded with more twists and turns than a tour through Wonka's Chocolate Factory, including drugs, psychosis, and porn stars, not to mention a machete, it's anyone's guess who might be ‘winning' this next go round.
Perhaps Alec Baldwin, who's had his share of unsavory public moments, said it best with his recent advice for Sheen: ''Take a nap. Get a shower. Call Chuck,'' he advised. ''Go on Letterman and make an apology…And then beg for your job back. Your fans demand it. You will never win because when you are as big a d*****bag as some of these guys are, they have no choice but to snuff you.''
