In a lawsuit filed Thursday, Chelsea Handler claims ThirdLove canceled a campaign event at the last minute and has yet to pay her the more than $1 million they allegedly agreed upon in a contract
Chelsea Handler is taking legal action against a lingerie company after it allegedly failed to pay her more than $1 million for an ad campaign.
The 47-year-old comedian sued ThirdLove in the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County on Thursday for breach of contract, according to documents obtained by PEOPLE.
On Jan. 1, Handler and ThirdLove began a one-year contract together in which she “would exclusively promote the ThirdLove brand in exchange for compensation of $1,060,000, plus expenses,” the filing says.
Under the agreement, Handler says she advertised ThirdLove, launched a custom-made fitness program, sat in on calls and meetings with the company’s executives, and went to wardrobe fittings. She was also set to be the face of a promotional shoot on Jan. 27.
Handler claims in court documents that ThirdLove “unilaterally cancelled” the shoot, along with the “entire agreement,” the night before. She had already paid for her own flight from Whistler, Canada, to Los Angeles for the event, per the complaint.
She claims she was informed that the company’s Board of Directors never approved the campaign and intervened “at the eleventh hour” after finding out about it, telling ThirdLove to “terminate the parties’ agreement.”
Handler adds in the complaint that ThirdLove has allegedly ignored her attempts to contact them and has yet to pay her the agreed amount, even though the company has allegedly paid the vendors involved in the campaign shoot.
She says she’s suffered more than $1.5 million in damages, and wants ThirdLove to pay out the full amount of the contract, along with “monies she spent out of her own pocket” based on the agreement. Handler also wants to be compensated for income she lost after declining partnerships with athleisure brands like ALO and Athleta because of her exclusive deal with the lingerie company, according to the filing.
Handler is suing for breach of contract and promissory estoppel. She is also requesting attorneys fees. She wants the amount owed to be determined at trial, but believes it’s more than $1.5 million.
ThirdLove and lawyers for Handler did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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