Ed O'Neill Joins 'Modern Family' Lawsuit

Ed O'Neill has joined a lawsuit filed by Modern Family cast members against 20th Century Fox Television in a dispute over their contracts.

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In amended court documents obtained by ET, Ed O'Neill has added his name to the lawsuit already filed by Sofia Vergara, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet, Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell. The stars claim that the success of the Emmy-winning Modern Family "has been built upon a collection of illegal contracts."

The papers go on to claim that the actors' contracts bind them to work on Modern Family "and preclude them from other work beyond seven years after the execution of the agreements."

Plaintiffs seek "a declaration of their rights under California Code of Civil Procedure section 1060, that the agreements violate the Seven-Year Rule under California Labor Code section 2855(a), and therefore are illegal and wholly void."

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When asked about the dispute, ABC President Paul Lee told reporters at TCA: "We did the table read, we are in the middle of negotiations. I don't want to talk about specifics. It's a wonderful show, that's a great cast and we're optimistic about it."