Gabrielle Union Sues BET For Over $1Million For Breach Of Contract With “Being Mary Jane”

Gabrielle Union is starring on her show “Being Mary Jane,” which is doing well, but it may soon come to an end. Union has filed a lawsuit against BET, claiming the network tried to short-change her by stuffing more episodes into a single season of the show. Union states the series vowed it would never go past more than 13 episodes per season, but they’re now trying to record 20 shows into Season 4.

At the time she was approached for Being Mary Jane, Union was a movie star and didn’t want to commit to a typical network TV series, according to the suit. BET’s then-general counsel Darrell Walker assured Union’s representatives that the actress wouldn’t be required to appear in more than 13 episodes per season — but a corporate policy required her performer agreement to include a provision allowing for a minimum of 10 episodes and a maximum of 26.

Union is set to receive a raise from $150,000 per episode to $165,000 in Season 5 and believes the network is attempting to “fraudulently extend” the terms of her contract, according to the lawsuit. The contract she signed, however, does permit the network to make a season a maximum of 26 episodes. Production has already begun for the fourth season of “Being Mary Jane,” and to go along with Union’s claims; each previous season is between 9-11 episodes.

Executives at BET have released their own statement.

“While we hold Gabrielle Union in the highest esteem, we feel strongly that we are contractually well within our rights and are committed to reaching a swift and positive resolution in this matter,” the network declared in a statement, according to Deadline.