Cheryl Cole sues X Factor for $2.3 million, filing the lawsuit on Friday claiming that she is owned the money after being fired from her judging duties.
The British pop star and former judge is suing Blue Orbit Productions, which produces the television show. She was fired from the show before the first full season began on the Fox network after executives expressed concern that American audiences would have a hard time understanding her accent, the Hollywood Reporter notes .
The show had signed Cole to what is known as a “pay or play” contract, meaning that she was entitled to her pay whether producers used her or not, Yahoo! News reports . Cole was fired in 2011 and replaced by Nicole Scherzinger, who was also fired and later replaced by Britney Spears.
Cheryl Cole was paid $1.8 million for the first season, but the show didn’t pay her the $2 million she would have made the second season, Cole’s complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court noted. Cheryl Cole also sues X Factor for the roughly $200,000 in expenses she said she was owed, which included a $100,000 wardrobe allowance as a one-time payment, a $25,000 one time allowance for her stylist; $15,000 per month for a hotel or apartment in Los Angeles, and a $2,500 monthly living allowance.
Cheryl Cole sues X Factor also to seek reimbursement for the cost of her personal security and first-class airline tickets between London and Los Angeles. Cole’s lawyer has also included interest on the money owed and money to cover legal fees in the lawsuit against Blue Orbit Productions.
