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Legal Eagle

Contracts

Breach of contract by act.
Our club hired a comic for two functions. He appeared at the first but on the second date his agent phoned to say the performer was ill. Yet this artist completed another booking on the next night. Can we take action for breach of contract?

Breach of contract by venue.
Our organisation wanted to stage its AGM at a local theatre. Both sides agreed but the venue failed to finalise the details. We pulled out and made a deal elsewhere. Now the theatre is demanding compensation. Can it sue us?

Breach of contract by funder.
Our theatre group secured the promise of sponsorship from a company. Now the firm says it will not hand over the cash unless we can match funding from another source. Where do we stand?

Breach of contract by publicist.
I produced a touring show satisfactorily at a number of venues. One theatre insisted on handling the publicity itself, yet failed to promote the production at all. We bombed at the box office. Do I have any comeback?

Withdrawing from contract.
I accepted a four week non-Equity contract but was offered an eight week standard Equity contract running over the same period. Is there any way I can withdraw from the original signing?

Verbal contracts.
A band won a small claims court case against a club which cancelled the group's booking at less than 48 hours notice. There was no written contract. Is this a legal precedent?

Profiting from show transfers.
If you create a successful fringe show which is taken up by the West End, how do you ensure that you share in the credit and profits?

Tribute bands quality when members change
If I hire a tribute band, only to discover that the members have all changed and their quality is much less than that of their predecessors, do I have any redress?

Childrens' licences/working on stage and TV
What are the rules for children working in professional stage and television shows?

Employer contracts/refusal to pay owed wages
I handed in my notice after three months, I did not sign my contract, and now my employer refuses to give me my last pay cheque unless I sign and return it - why should I?

Employers cancelling contracts - can I sue?
A performer was dropped from an artist's tour just days before it was due to begin. My friend had a contract. Could he sue for compensation?

Stage school students breaching contract
I used to go to a part-time stage school, but left in half-term. I didn't give half a term's notice. The school told me to pay nearly £100. What should I do?

Safeguarding wages on 'deferred payment' contracts
I am in a low budget film. The contract was a deferred minimum Equity daily rate, with the artists the last to be paid. How can I safeguard myself?

Student extras - oral contract, payment troubles
I worked as an extra with payment promised within three weeks from a notice on my University notice board. I have not been paid. What can I do, as I have no contract?

Withdrawal from contract due to disability
Can a company withdraw from a contract for the mere fact, which was disclosed at application, of my being disabled or does this now constitute breach of the contract?

Verbal agreements
I provided the sound for a show but was dismissed before the end of the tour. Although I was not sacked for any shortcoming on my part, I only had a verbal agreement, so do I have any redress?

Minor Liability
When our band appeared on TV, our parents had to approve the detail. Once we reach 16, can we sign an agreement, even if one of us does not approve of the contract?

Verbal contracts and new ownership
The founder of a venture asked me to design a slogan for his business. In place of a fee I would receive a discount. The new owner does not believe this promise was ever made. What can I do?

Verbal contracts and compensation
The leasehold on the venue that had booked my touring show is being sold. I had a verbal agreement with the venue yet the new buyer says he will not have to honour existing contracts. Do I merit compensation and, if so, from whom?

Drawing up a commissioning agreement
How do you draw up a commissioning agreement?

Likeness "release" forms at filmed castings
My client attended a casting session and has been asked to sign a "release", granting the production company rights in the use of her likeness "distorted" for any lawful purpose whatsoever. Is such a grant and release legal, and should we advise our client to agree?