page_title: Modern Family
section_title: Litigation
hierarchical_section_title: Modern Family / Development and production / Litigation
caption_attribution_description: English: Cast of Modern Family at the 69th Annual Golden Globes Awards in 2012.
context_page_description: Modern Family is an American television mockumentary family sitcom created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan for the American Broadcasting Company. It ran for eleven seasons, from September 23, 2009 to April 8, 2020. It follows the lives of three diverse family set-ups in suburban Los Angeles, linked by patriarch Jay Pritchett.
  Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan conceived the series while sharing stories of their own "modern families". Modern Family employs an ensemble cast and is presented in mockumentary style, with the characters frequently speaking directly to the camera in confessional interview segments.
  The series was renewed for a 10th season on May 10, 2017, which premiered on September 26, 2018; then for an eleventh and final season on February 5, 2019, which premiered on September 25, 2019. The series finale aired April 8, 2020.
  Modern Family was acclaimed by critics throughout its first few seasons. Its critical reception became more mixed as it progressed, but it maintained a loyal fan base throughout its 11 seasons and was continuously popular with the public.
context_section_description: In the first season, the adult cast was paid a range of approximately $30,000 to $90,000 per episode. As a result of the show's success, the cast attempted to renegotiate their contracts in the summer of 2012 to obtain higher per-episode fees, but talks broke down to the point that the fourth season's first table read had to be postponed. Five of the cast members (Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet, and Sofía Vergara) retained the Quinn Emanuel law firm and sued 20th Century Fox Television in Los Angeles County Superior Court on July 24, 2012.  While not part of the lawsuit, Ed O'Neill joined his fellow castmates in seeking raises for each to about $200,000 per episode; O'Neill had been earning more money per episode than the other five. The lawsuit invoked the "seven-year rule" in California Labor Code Section 2855 (the De Havilland Law) and requested a declaration that their contracts were void because they were in violation of that rule. As of July 28, 2012, the conflict had been resolved. The five adult cast members' salaries were increased from $55,000–$65,000 per episode to $150,000–$175,000, with increases every season, plus a percentage of back end profits. O'Neill had already been earning $200,000 an episode, so his salary was lowered to parity with his co-stars but with a larger percentage of the back-end profits. Later in the summer four of the five child stars negotiated increases from $15,000–$25,000 to $70,000 per episode with an additional $10,000 per season raise.
caption: Cast of Modern Family at the 69th Golden Globe Awards in January 2012.
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