(1888PressRelease)
January 05, 2008 - Los Angeles, CA –– Another lawsuit alleging discrimination was filed against the Screen Actors Guild – the union which has been historically beseeched by internal battles and discrimination suits. On December 17, 2007 this action was filed by Chance E. Gordon, Esq. of the Gordon Law on behalf of Producer/Director BJ Davis and Screenwriter Julia Davis. The lawsuit filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court (Case No. BC 382 490) alleges discrimination, privacy violations and breach of fiduciary duty by SAG and seeks damages and injunctive relief.
BJ Davis is a thirty-year member of the Screen Actors Guild, whose credits include more than four hundred films. He doubled Academy Award winners Tom Hanks, Jack Nicholson, Tommy Lee Jones, Michael Caine and Art Carney. He has directed film, television, rock videos and commercials. BJ directed the late Brandon Lee in his first feature film, which catapulted the son of martial arts great Bruce Lee into the spotlight. A martial artist himself, BJ has appeared in action films with numerous action stars, including Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris. BJ Davis is a member of the Stuntman Hall of Fame, who still holds two world records. Julia Davis is a screenwriter of award-winning films, who started her film career by serving as a stunt double to Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie. While serving as secretary to Charlton Heston and Robert Conrad, BJ Davis took an active position in the affairs of the Screen Actors Guild.
He rallied the stunt world and successfully lobbied for the rights of stunt performers, forcing SAG to represent Stunt Coordinators contractually. Largely through BJ’s efforts, the Screen Actors Guild was forced to stop the practice of limiting the ability of stunt people to advance to stunt coordinator under the auspices of “implementing a classification system to determine their ability to advance”. BJ Davis publicly exposed the fact that SAG’S safety board members looked the other way when human lives were endangered and sometimes lost on film sets ran in a dangerous manner. The complaint states that such proactive stance caused SAG to retaliate against BJ Davis. Examples of such retaliatory activities, outlined in the complaint, included intentionally providing misinformation to potential employers to interfere with employment prospects, bringing false charges of misconduct against Davis, denying his health and welfare benefits and disclosing privileged medical information pertaining to Davis and his dependents to unauthorized third parties. In addition to seeking damages, fees and costs, the Davis are requesting a preliminary injunction to prevent the Screen Actors Guild from distributing confidential information pertaining to or concerning BJ and Julia Davis.
For further information, contact:
Chance E. Gordon
The Gordon Law Firm
Museum Square
5757 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 636
Los Angeles, CA 90036
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