Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

FIND A LEGAL COUNSEL

Bam Margera Suing Paramount, MTV & Others Over “Jackass” Firing

Bam Margera filed suit against MTV, Paramount Pictures and several individuals Monday, alleging the group wrongfully terminated him from the upcoming “Jackass 4” film for breaching an agreement that required him to maintain his sobriety.

Bam MargeraPhoto Credit: Shutterstock

Margera, whose real name is Brandon, says he was forced under duress to sign a “wellness agreement” while in a rehabilitation facility, but was later fired from the latest installment of the “Jackass” film  franchise even though he never violated the agreement.

The suit includes claims for violations of the Fair Employment and Housing Act, California’s Labor Code, the Unruh Civil Rights Act and Unfair Competition Law, as well as for breach of contract, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, intentional infliction of emotional distress, fraud and common law copyright infringement.

The “Jackass” franchise originated as an MTV show featuring Margera and others performing outlandish and dangerous stunts, considered by some to be “low brow.” It eventually bloomed into a successful film series involving top talent in the industry.

The individuals included in the suit span several involved in the project. Spike Jonze is a producer on the film and co-creator of the television series, Jeffrey Tremaine the director, and Johnny Knoxville a co-star.

“Margera is not only the star of the television show and film franchise that has made Paramount and MTV hundreds of millions of dollars to date, but a co-writer and producer who came up with the vast majority of the franchise’s most memorable content,” Margera said.

He continued, “While Margera has given Jackass — quite literally — more than two decades worth of his blood, sweat and tears, defendants have not repaid him in kind. Rather, Margera, who has a documented history of physical and mental health issues, including diagnosed bipolar disorder, has been the victim of unconscionable discrimination at the hands of defendants.”

Margera, who like his “Jackass” costars, has had a long history with drug and alcohol abuse. The 2019 trip to rehab in question was not his first tenure, in fact Margera starred in, co-wrote and produced the series’ most successful film, “Jackass 3D” shortly after first entering rehab in 2009.

The wellness agreement, described by Margera’s lawyers as “draconian”, required Bam to complete daily drug tests, breathalyzer and urinalysis tests and to video chat with a doctor every morning to ensure he was taking his prescription medications. According to the suit, If he violated the agreement, he would face immediate termination from the Jackass franchise.

Margera stated even though he was complying with the agreement, the defendants terminated him for taking prescription Adderall, a drug he has been prescribed for more than 10 years.

“Paramount’s inhumane treatment of Margera cannot be countenanced,” the suit states. “Margera was made to endure psychological torture in the form of a sham wellness agreement, and then ultimately terminated for his protected class status due to his medical condition, and his complaints about defendants’ discriminatory conduct towards him.”

The lawsuit also seeks an order permanently preventing the defendants from “releasing and/or distributing Jackass 4 or any other film procured by virtue of discriminating against employees with protected physical and/or mental disabilities or medical conditions.”

Read more articles from Haute Lawyer, visit https://hauteliving.com/hautelawyer

Source: https://www.law360.com/articles/1411168?sidebar=true

FIND A LEGAL COUNSEL