“Unforgettable” Actress Poppy Montgomery Sued Over Non Payment Of Commissions

Talent agency UTA has decided to take legal recourse against its former client, the “Unforgettable” star Poppy Montgomery, reports The Hollywood Reporter. The talent agency alleges that Montgomery did not pay the company the commission it was promised after the Australian actress got the role in the CBS drama. The lucrative deal was negotiated by UTA, claims the complaint.

In a lawsuit filed against Poppy Montgomery with the Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, UTA claims that Montgomery, who had been its client since August 2010 did not heed paying her commission fees since the debut of the second season of “Unforgettable”. The company alleges that around August 2010, the actress had entered into an oral agreement with them whereby she had agreed to pay them a 10 percent commission on “all income and other monies” that she earns from her deal with CBS.

The lawsuit states;

“Poppy Montgomery not only turned her back on the people who helped her career, but on her contractual obligation to those people.”

The complaint also states that Montgomery had also created a company called Teichan Productions back in 1997 which aims at serving as her loan out company. It is this company that UTA states would be liable for all obligations by Montgomery to UTA under the Talent Agency Agreement.

According to UTA, they had negotiated a deal with CBS wherein Poppy Montgomery would earn $90,000 per episode for her appearances on the show for season one. This was increased to $93,000 per episode in season two and subsequently $97,340 per episode by season three. The agency claims it is entitled to 10 percent commission from the money Montgomery earned from the show in seasons two and three. While the exact amount that UTA is claiming from Poppy would be only determined after the trial ends, It is believed to be more than$248,222. This of course excludes the cost of the lawsuit itself. UTA adds that Poppy did pay her dues for the first season – but stopped paying them for seasons two and three.

In Poppy Montgomery’s defense, her representative has in a statement stated that the claim by UTA is ridiculous and that Poppy was never in an agreement with them, reports Radar Online. The statement also claimed that it was because of a single agent that Poppy was at UTA and that she had no connection or relationship with anyone else in the company.

The statement adds;

“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,”

[Image via Carlo Allegri/Getty Images]