After bringing forth allegations of inappropriate behavior by co-star Aaron Eckhart on set, Abigail Breslin is now being sued by the production company behind their new film, Classified. The lawsuit accuses the 27-year-old actor of breaching her contract with the producers of the film and characterizes her claims about Eckhart as "wild, hysterical, and imaginary." It also says that her allegations led to costly delays for the film and have hampered its ability to be distributed.
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According to Entertainment Tonight, Dream Team Studios and WM Holdings filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Thursday, Nov. 2. The lawsuit states that Breslin claimed Eckhart, 55, displayed "aggressive, demeaning, and unprofessional behavior" towards her when they worked on the film earlier this year. According to the lawsuit, "the entire production almost ground to a halt" after the Little Miss Sunshine star told production about her claims "which she insisted placed her at various times in peril." She also, according to the suit, reported Eckhart's alleged behavior to the actors' union, SAG-AFTRA.
The lawsuit claims further, "[I]n order for the production to continue ... Breslin refused to be alone in several scenes with Eckhart, and costly accommodations had to be made." The production companies claim the accommodations added $80,000 to their budget, which they seek in addition to punitive damages.
Additionally, the lawsuit claims that Breslin refuses to sign a long-form contract and has asked for an additional $35,000 payment in order to sign. Without this signature, the production reportedly cannot claim tax credit in Malta where the movie was shot. On top of that, the producers claim that Breslin's allegations against her co-star are making it difficult to distribute Classified because "there are few scenes where Breslin and Eckhart are seen together."
Warner Bros. Pictures
Classified stars Eckhart as a hitman, whose estranged daughter (Breslin) reveals to him that his boss in the CIA has been dead for years, meaning he doesn't know where his assignments have been coming from. Together, they try to solve the mystery. Breslin and Eckhart previously appeared together in 2007's No Reservations, when Breslin was 11.
As reported by Variety, the production company claims that the movie's on-set producer investigated Breslin's claims and "found no evidence" to support Breslin's allegations.
A representative for Breslin offered this statement to Best Life: "Abigail Breslin is not aware of any action filed against her and has not been served with any legal notice. Ms. Breslin categorically denies all contended allegations and unequivocally stands by her statement which she confidentially provided to SAG."
Best Life has also reached out to a representative for Eckhart for comment.
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