The judge ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the theater owed money to an actress who performed in one of its productions.
By Jonathan Friedman/Assistant Editor
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lawrence Mira ruled Monday that the Malibu Stage Co. did not owe money to actress Jacalynne Flax. The British actress had sued the local theater for $2,000, saying it owed her the money according to a verbal agreement the two parties had made to split the gross box-office revenue.
Mira ruled that there was not enough evidence to prove the Malibu Stage Co. had failed to pay Flax the money she was owed. Jackie Bridgeman, co-founder and president of the Malibu Stage Co., said she was pleased with the ruling.
“I was very impressed how scrupulous the judge was in researching the material, especially for such a minor issue,” Bridgeman said.
But Flax had another view on the decision. She said Mira did not properly review the materials she presented, which included receipts.
“We [Flax and her husband, Peter] didn’t think we could get a fair hearing,” Flax said. “I had made a packet up for him; he wouldn’t even look at it.”
Flax said she plans to appeal the decision.
The dispute arose after the British actress performed in Malibu Stage Co.’s production of “Shirley Valentine” from Aug. 21 to Sept. 12. Flax said she and her husband had a verbal agreement with the Malibu Stage Co. to split the gross revenue from the production, which she said was more than $9,000. Flax said she received $2,000 less than she was supposed to get.
But Bridgeman told The Malibu Times last week that Flax’s accounting was incorrect. She also said that the Malibu Stage Co. could not afford the money Flax said she was owed.
“We are not endowed,” Bridgeman said. “We rely on city contributions.”