Bones: FOX Wants Boreanaz, Deschanel and EP Lawsuits Moved to Arbitration

In late November, the Bones TV series executive producer, Barry Josephson, sued the FOX network and the 20th Century Fox Television studio’s parent company, over alleged profit participation hi-jinx. Stars David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel, and producer Kathy Reichs, followed suit, in less than a week.

Among the allegations: FOX brass threatened Bones would be cancelled, if Josephson refused a lower license fee. Now, Deadline reports FOX has filed to move the issue out of the courts and into arbitration.

Bones is currently on its mid-winter hiatus. Curiously, or not, the second half of the 11th season of Bones was not included in the FOX spring schedule. Whether it is the law suit, or Bones flagging ratings responsible for that, is tough to call.

FOX is scheduled to make its presentations at the TCA winter press tour, on Friday, January 15, 2016. We will be watching to see if FOX schedules the second half of Bones, season 11.

Boreanaz has already said he is leaving Bones at the end of the current season, whether or not it is renewed. Co-star Emily Deschanel has yet to comment on whether she would return for a 12th season of Bones.

Here is more on the FOX request to move the issue from the courts to private arbitration, from Deadline:

Although all the plaintiffs are sure to fight it, Fox wants both cases to be dealt with in private in arbitration. They also are seeking to have all proceedings stayed until their petitions are heard before Judge Richard E. Rico on March 2 and March 14 respectively.

“Having earned millions of dollars in compensation for providing his executive producer services on Defendants’ television series Bones (the “Series”), Barry Josephson brings a series of meritless claims in this Court in a naked attempt to attract headlines and extract millions more in undue compensation,” said caustically said the Fox petition Tuesday. The filing went on to cite provisions in both Josephson’s signed 2004 agreement and 2009 release that spelled out arbitration as the agreed upon method of conflict resolution between the parties if such a need should arise – as it has here.

“Although Plaintiffs are allegedly seeking to enforce the provisions of their contracts with Defendants, these Plaintiffs, like Josephson, blatantly ignored key dispute resolution provisions of the very contracts at issue – the provisions that clearly establish arbitration as the appropriate forum for deciding such claims. And, for the same reasons that this Court should grant the petition in the related action, it should grant this petition as well,” adds the petition aimed at Deschanel and Boreanez, who both serve as producers on Bones, and Reichs […]

Are you a fan of the Bones TV show? Would you tune in for a 12th season of Bones, even without David Boreanaz? Do you think Bones should be cancelled or renewed? Sound off, in the comments.