The Fox network is being sued, again, over the filming of its hit music drama series Empire directed by Lee Daniels.
The lawsuit stems from the production’s use of the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center in Chicago. The network began filming at the facility back in 2015 as a backdrop for the first two episodes featuring Lucious Lyons (Terrence Howard) in federal prison trying to run the family hip-hop music dynasty from the inside.
The Daily Mail reports that the legal guardians of two of the inmates filed a class action suit last year, alleging they were denied certain privileges by being on lockdown for three days to accommodate the film crew.
“The suit claims that as a result of the lockdowns, inmates weren’t allowed to read in the library, go to the recreation yard, or pray in the chapel. In addition, infirmary requests were dismissed and family visitations were denied. The inmates were solely allowed to remain in their dormitory-styled common areas or their rooms,” per The Daily Mail.
The network fought to have the lawsuit dismissed on the account that they were not responsible for the lockdowns. But U.S. District Judge Amy J. Eve. Judge Eve said the lawsuit can proceed after finding that there was collusion between Fox and detention center officials, and the judge believes the network may have wrongfully profited from the lockdowns.
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(Chuck Hodes/FOX via AP)
