Battle Lines Drawn As SAG-AFTRA Factions Stake Positions In Upcoming Election

The battle for control of SAG-AFTRA has turned ugly, with allegations and threats of lawsuits flying between the feuding factions. Unite for Strength, the union’s ruling party, is calling on Matthew Modine and his MembershipFirst opposition party to publicly denounce the “rhetoric of hate” allegedly espoused by unnamed supporters of his who sit on the union’s boards of directors. MembershipFirst, in turn, is threatening legal action.

Camryn Manheim, SAG-AFTRA’s national secretary-treasurer, and nine other members of her Unite for Strength ruling party have filed an election campaign violation complaint against Matthew Modine, Joely Fisher, Sam Rubin and their MembershipFirst opposition party.

SAG-AFTRA is the only major Hollywood union that doesn’t own its own headquarters, and that’s become a topic of heated debate between its warring factions in the union’s ongoing election of national and local officers. SAG – and now SAG-AFTRA – hasn’t owned its own national offices for 35 years, leasing at two different locations since 1986.

SAG-AFTRA presidential candidate Matthew Modine and his running mate, Joely Fisher, have emailed the union’s entire membership, accusing their opponents – Fran Drescher and Anthony Rapp – of not being ready to lead because they have no record of service in union office or on its boards or committees.

Hilary Swank and the board of trustees of the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan have entered into a written settlement agreement to resolve her lawsuit in which she asked a federal judge to order the trustees to resume coverage of her treatment for recurrent malignant ovarian cysts, which have afflicted the two-time Oscar-winning actress for nearly 12 years.

Hilary Swank has reached a settlement in her lawsuit against the board of trustees of the SAG-AFTRA health plan after being denied coverage for the treatment of ovarian cysts. New court docs obtained by ET show Swank and the board of trustees of the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan have entered into a written settlement agreement to resolve the matter and dismiss any further legal action.The details of what the settlement entails have not been made public at this time.

SAG-AFTRA has told its members not to work on Mindcage, a film starring Martin Lawrence, because its producer, MC Scared LLC, “has failed to demonstrate its compliance with SAG-AFTRA’s required Covid-19 safety standards and protocols for a safe set.”

Hilary Swank and SAG-AFTRA have reached an agreement.

Lynyrd Skynyrd have revealed that their guitarist Rickey Medlocke has tested positive for COVID-19, forcing the band to cancel and postpone a string of upcoming concerts.In a statement on Facebook, the band wrote: “Longtime band member Rickey Medlocke has tested positive for COVID-19. Rickey is home resting and responding well to treatment.”The band confirmed they will no longer be playing their forthcoming shows in Ohio, Missouri and Alabama.

Soleil Moon Frye, 44, revealed on Monday, Aug. 2 that three of her four children tested positive for COVID-19.

Ballots for the upcoming SAG-AFTRA election are in the mail, and once again, national board candidate Shaan Sharma has come under fire from members of the union’s Unite for Strength ruling faction. Two years ago, a fellow L.A. Local board member and Unite for Strength stalwart referred to him in an email as a “brown lackey” of the union’s opposition MembershipFirst faction, and “the epitome of brown boys who are Republican traitors to our race.”

Olly Murs has revealed that he was forced to undergo emergency surgery after injuring his leg during a performance.The former X Factor star explained that he was left limping on stage after a fragment of his bone became lodged in the back of his knee after he jumped.The 37 year old described the horrifying turn of events from his hospital bed on Tuesday, stating in an Instagram clip that it had been a "mad 72 hours" in which he underwent surgery and is now on the road to recovery.

Scarlett Johansson, who claims that the Walt Disney Company has cheated her by releasing “Black Widow” simultaneously on Disney Plus and in theaters. In the other, is Disney, which tore into the actress in unusually personal terms in a statement Thursday, calling her claims “sad and distressing” and accusing her of showing “callous disregard” for the effects of the COVID-19 crisis.

Production on Nick Cassavetes’ action pic God Is a Bullet was paused last week after five people tested positive for Covid-19.

Sign up for the free MyBolton newsletter to get the top stories direct to your inbox

Kate Garraway has revealed that her son had to self-isolate at home after one of his school classmates tested positive for Covid.The Good Morning Britain host has endured a challenging year with her husband Derek Draper's lengthy and gruelling battle with coronavirus and recently admitted that he is a "long way out of the woods".