'American Idol' producer hit with lawsuit

March 19, 2009 Former employees have filed a class-action lawsuit against "American Idol" producer FremantleMedia North America. "There's no Hollywood glamour for the below-the-line people who work on 'American Idol' and other reality shows who are grossly underpaid, worked 24/7 and receive no rest or meal breaks and no health coverage -- contrary to California labor laws," said the plaintiffs' attorney Jonathan Biddle. The earlier suit was initially launched in conjunction with the WGA, which has been going after reality production companies and networks in an attempt to organize reality story shapers.

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