UPDATED: The “Unforgettable” actress had been represented by the talent agency since August 2010, but it claims that she stopped paying commission fees after the show’s first season, which debuted in September 2011.
UTA is suing former client Poppy Montgomery for failing to pay the company commission after it negotiated a “lucrative deal” for her starring role in the CBS drama Unforgettable.
The talent agency filed a lawsuit with the Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday claiming that Montgomery, who had been its client since August 2010, has not paid her commission fees since the first season of the show, which debuted in September 2011.
Read the full complaint here.
“Montgomery not only turned her back on the people who helped her career, but on her contractual obligation to those people,” according to the lawsuit.
In or around August 2010, Montgomery and UTA entered into an oral agreement whereby she agreed to pay 10 percent commission “on all income and other monies,” states the complaint, which goes on to claim that in around July 1997, she also created Teichan Productions to serve as her loan-out company.
“The parties agreed that Teichan would be jointly and severely liable for all of Montgomery’s obligations to UTA under the Talent Agency Agreement,” according to the lawsuit.
UTA negotiated a contract for the actress “to earn $90,000 per episode for her services on the Show for season one; $93,000 per episode for season two; and $97,340 per episode for season three,” states the suit, and is now entitled to 10 percent from seasons two and three.
The exact amount UTA has been damaged is to be determined at trial, but is in excess of $248,222, plus the cost of the lawsuit.
UTA is represented by Bryan J. Freedman and Jordan D. Susman of Freedman and Taitelman, LLP.
A representative for Montgomery told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement: “The UTA claim is ridiculous. Poppy never had an agreement with UTA. Poppy was at UTA because of one agent, and had absolutely no relationship with anyone else there.
“When that agent left, no one at UTA offered to continue representation, to find her work, or to service her deal on Unforgettable. Poppy remains with and loyal to her original agent. Poppy has relationships of over 20 years with her manager and business manager and has had a relationship of over 10 years with her lawyer. She is extremely loyal and fair to everyone who has contributed to her career,” concluded the statement.
